episode_0062

A crescent moon rose.

A night darkened by pitch-black clouds.

A masked man was perched atop a tree.

That was me.

“…….”

It was utterly humiliating, but I had a mission.

A fake Mine was disguised as Celie. My goal was to take down both that bastard and whoever came to meet him.

‘It’d be great if I could extract some intel, but…’

They said it’d be difficult.

Since Erme said so herself, it must be true.

-The reason that woman said that is probably because those bastards don’t feel much pain.

‘…Huh?’

-It’s one of the costs of having their souls corrupted by the labyrinth. Even so, since they’ve offered their future to the Abyss of the Labyrinth, their [Growth] and [Development] have been halted.

‘…Isn’t that a loss?’

Halting growth and development meant no level-ups, no stat improvements.

And they chose that?

‘Are they idiots?’

Lysiel let out a deep sigh.

-That’s why I said they’re fools. You wouldn’t do such a thing, but never, ever entertain such thoughts.

‘Of course not.’

-And… I’m not siding with them, but entering the labyrinth doesn’t guarantee leveling up either.

‘I know.’

Some spend their entire lives in the labyrinth without ever reaching Level 3.

The thing that struck me most deeply in the labyrinth was the 2nd-floor boss room.

‘Most don’t climb higher and just endure below.’

The 3rd floor gives better EXP, but since the materials it drops are worse than the 2nd floor’s, some choose to stay below.

-So, you…

‘Quiet.’

I silenced Lysiel before she could offer more advice.

The reason was simple.

I sensed someone approaching.

Thud. Thud.

Cautious footsteps. The gait of someone unfamiliar with the dark.

-That’s the bastard suspected to be the Mine, right?

‘Yeah.’

Celie walked forward.

I watched her. I hadn’t seen her much, but I remembered her face because Erme doted on her.

‘Come to think of it, there wasn’t any resonance unique to Hero candidates.’

Same with Clara.

There must be some kind of condition.

‘Maybe you need a lot of Gifts.’

I suppressed my presence further and prepared to fire an arrow.

Celie was fragile. If she was meeting someone, she’d be the first to die.

‘…The fact that Erme was worried about me—’

She overestimates me.

Sometimes, I wonder if she’s right to hold me in such high regard.

That same Erme looked at me with concern and said she’d come as fast as possible.

That meant this enemy was no ordinary foe.

As I carefully observed them, a robed figure approached Celie.

-…A suspicious bastard.

‘Yeah.’

I kept my eyes on the robed figure.

‘…I should avoid fighting if possible.’

Or if I had to fight, I’d need to land a decisive blow.

I drew my bow and quietly took aim.

-You’re really going to try?

‘I’d rather not.’

But that bastard looked dangerous. If I could eliminate him now, that’d be the best option.

So—

Creak.

I nocked a poisoned arrow and drew the bowstring.

The best outcome would be killing him, but—

‘I don’t think that’ll happen.’

I don’t know what this feeling is.

But I was strangely certain that even my strongest attack would be dodged or blocked.

Then what should I do?

‘What else can I do?’

I’d have to fight either way.

Erme said she was coming, but rescuing Celie didn’t look easy.

Then I’d just kill them both.

I wanted to use a Charging Shot, but purple would stand out too much in this darkness.

I drew the bowstring fully.

And then—

Twang!

Something cut through the wind. The arrow vanished into the darkness, flying straight toward the robed figure.

Swish!

The robed figure twisted his body just before the arrow could hit.

But—

Thud!

The arrow struck his forearm.

‘As expected, taking him down in one shot is tough.’

The higher my level, the more people react to my arrows.

And this thing was an anomaly stronger than me.

‘I’d like to secure a more advantageous position, but…’

The robed man flung off his robe.

What appeared was a man with snake-like, slit eyes. And he was glaring at me like he wanted to tear me apart.

‘How terrifying.’

At the same time, he lunged at me.

I drew the bowstring again.

This time, an arrow tipped with paralyzing poison.

I pulled the string taut and—

Twang!

Fired.

But—

Clang!

He deflected it with a massive greatsword.

I stored the bow in subspace and drew Whisper of the Wind.

Experience told me throwing multiple daggers would be better than shooting arrows here.

But I also wanted to test something.

I focused on him and channeled mana into my arm.

Then—

Thunk!

Something shot toward him. He frowned and batted it away with the hilt of his greatsword.

Krrrk!

I yanked my arm downward. The wire’s end moved, and—

Thunk!

He reacted again, but the wire grazed his forearm.

“Pathetic tricks.”

Outwardly, he seemed fine.

But I smirked inside.

‘I coated the wire and weight with paralyzing and neurotoxins.’

Just in case, I’d drenched them in poison.

With at least two types of poison in him, his movements should slow.

-Unless he has a Gift related to poison resistance.

‘…’

-Still, the method itself wasn’t bad.

So it wasn’t the best option.

Well, I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t fought much.

-You? Don’t make me laugh.

‘…’

I raised my sword and quietly prepared.

Thump. Thump.

It felt like my blood was running cold.

The greatsword-wielding man was already in front of me.

“You gloomy bastard.”

The moment he saw me, he spat out insults.

“Judging by your looks, you must be the one standing in our way. But you made a mistake. You should’ve brought others.”

“……”

“Not gonna talk, huh? Figures. A sneaky bastard who shoots arrows and throws weird weights wouldn’t know a swordsman’s battle.”

What the hell is this guy saying?

I silently watched as he rambled on.

He was spouting information even though I hadn’t said a word.

“That mask tells me you’re the one blocking our path. Come at me.”

Click.

He wiggled his fingers, taunting me.

“T-That’s strange. I heard the masked attacker was a woman.”

“Ah, now I remember. Some weird group called ‘Shadow Phantoms,’ right?”

“……”

I thought of Erme.

She usually set an example as a party leader, but…

‘…I didn’t know she had this kind of taste.’

Well, chuunibyou is unavoidable.

As I pondered, the slit-eyed man spoke.

“My name is Diago. If anyone in the underworld asks who killed you, tell them that name.”

At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder.

A man this brazen—would he really fit in with a group like Rebellion?

‘There must be something more, but…’

Or maybe he’s just stupid.

I knew he had no intention of letting me live, but was there any reason to reveal this much?

I stared at him.

His arrogant eyes looked down on me.

He was on a completely different level from anyone I’d faced before.

‘It’s doable, but…’

He was stronger than anyone around me.

Stronger than Vulcan, surpassing even the Executioner Princess, Lucia… No, maybe not that far.

But he was close.

And the more depressing realization was—

‘…I have to hide my true strength.’

I grimaced.

Even if I went all out, beating him would be hard. But against an enemy like this, hiding my strength wasn’t an option.

‘He’s not someone to hold back against.’

So I drew Whisper of the Wind. And Bloodstained Sword.

“Hmm, dual-wielding?”

Diago looked at me with dissatisfied eyes.

“Dual-wielding is overrated. Talented people might do it, but usually, those who wield a spear or a single sword are stronger. The Empire’s Duke, the adventurers guarding the Cradle… Whatever, doesn’t matter.”

Diago smirked and raised his greatsword.

“You, nameless intruder. You’ll pay dearly for attacking us.”

Diago swung his greatsword in a wide arc.

But his speed was terrifying.

I immediately ducked, dodging the slash. Then came Diago’s kick.

‘He uses martial arts too?’

As Diago kicked, I aimed Whisper of the Wind at his knee and closed the distance.

‘I can’t give him space.’

Weapons with long reach exploit distance.

Even if he called himself a swordsman, anyone wielding a long weapon fights dirty.

“Good reflexes!”

Diago grinned, gripping his greatsword and swinging downward.

Tch. I clicked my tongue and leaped back.

-An annoying opponent.

‘Attack and defense—he’s seamless.’

His transitions between offense and defense were flawless.

The skill of a master who’d honed a single weapon to perfection.

Diago stepped forward, swinging his greatsword.

I blocked with both swords, but—

Boom!

I was overwhelmingly outmatched in strength. The only thing I had over him was speed.

‘Or…’

Black Moon.

And Dark Tide.

Two sword styles said to be unusable by humans.

But even if I used them—

‘I think he’d block them.’

That was my intuition. But I wasn’t despairing. I pressed forward, pushing him as hard as I could.

Right sword for offense.

Left sword for defense.

“Hmm?”

When I adjusted my grip, Diago’s reaction slowed slightly. As if he recognized my swordsmanship.

No surprise.

I’d modified Vulcan’s and Lysiel’s styles to create my own.

Slowly, the flow of battle began shifting in my favor.

Diago narrowed his eyes.

“You’re a nuisance. Now I see why our men couldn’t handle you.”

Diago stomped the ground hard.

Crash!

The ground spiderwebbed with cracks.

Suddenly, my body felt heavier.

An illusion, perhaps. The crushing weight of his overwhelming fighting spirit.

-What kind of monstrous fighting spirit is this…?! You, something’s wrong! This man isn’t a Mine…!

I steadied my stance.

I drew in mana.

‘Dark Tide doesn’t suit this.’

Dark Tide had a wider range than Black Moon, making it a sweeping slash.

Black Moon, on the other hand, was like a drill—perfect for piercing through defenses.

Crackle.

Purple energy crackled around me. I even summoned my fighting spirit.

Fighting spirit was a force that suppressed enemies while empowering me.

Diago smirked, raising his greatsword high.

Mana swelled, and his arm bulged.

A stance that put everything into a single strike.

He swung the greatsword down.

And I—

‘Black Moon.’

The darkness sank.

A clash of power.

The moment Black Moon met Diago’s swordsmanship, I realized.

‘Ah.’

I lost.

The thought struck me. Why had I fought sword against sword?

‘…I’m a thief, damn it.’

I threw Whisper of the Wind. My stance crumbled as the sinking darkness faded.

“Huh?”

Diago looked at me with displeasure and reached out.

‘Steal.’

I’d take anything.

Disrupt his stance, steal his mana—anything.

Fighting him head-on was the worst mistake.

‘I got arrogant.’

This was who I really was.

Not someone who fought honorably, but someone obsessed with victory.

My outstretched hand grabbed something—

“What—this is impossible…!”

Diago’s shocked voice.

The sinking darkness swallowed his sword.