episode_0075

A strange rumor had begun to spread.

The daughter of the Beastkin King, Cheong Yurang.

The news that she was staying with a man.

“Nonsense. There’s no man worthy of her grace.” “Did you come here just to spread weird rumors?”

The Beastkin dismissed it as unbelievable, as mere baseless gossip.

And they had every reason to.

Who was Cheong Yurang?

The daughter of the Beastkin King, a being of legendary bloodline—one thought to have already vanished.

The most valiant and swiftest of divine beasts, Fenrir.

Because she inherited the blood of that very existence.

Though she was considered a forgotten legend, among countless bloodlines, only the Beastkin King possessed it.

And after 500 years, that bloodline had resurfaced.

Perhaps it was because of her divine lineage.

From childhood, she was extraordinary. Born with the power to summon wind, she could even wield a fraction of the wind’s force—an ability exclusive to the Elven race.

But that wasn’t all.

At Level 1, she defeated a Level 2 being. At Level 2, she felled a Level 3.

At Level 3, she hit a wall at Level 4, but still—

That was Cheong Yurang.

Most around her revered her.

Naturally, her personality grew haughty.

No, in her case, it wouldn’t be strange to say her arrogance matched her strength.

The pride of the Beastkin.

A being destined to become a hero, no matter where she went.

That was Cheong Yurang.

“For someone like her to fall for a man? Utter nonsense.” “They must’ve heard some rumor from the humans.” “Tch. The same humans who claim someone reached Level 3 in just three weeks. And recently, at that.” “Level 3 in three weeks? That’s oddly specific for a rumor.” “Hmph. A race with no special traits could never achieve that.”

Around the time they were chattering—

The Beastkin fell silent. The subject of the rumor had arrived.

Creak.

The moment the door opened,

every Beastkin in the guild doubted their eyes.

‘Am I dreaming?’ ‘Why is she making that face?’ ‘Why does her clothes smell like an unfamiliar man…?’

The pride of their race wore an expression they had never seen in their lives—one entirely foreign to them.

The party Cheong Yurang introduced.

The moment I saw its members, my face twisted in bewilderment.

And for good reason.

Most of them were faces I’d never seen before, but—

‘…Why glasses?’

No, not glasses.

He had the signature Beastkin tail and ears, after all.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” “Ah, just… you remind me of someone.” “Hmph. Impossible. A handsome man like me can’t possibly exist elsewhere.” “……”

This guy not only looked like Glasses but even had a similar personality.

‘For now, let’s call him Glasses B.’

-You think there’s another guy like that in the world?

The Holy Sword reacted to my inner thoughts.

His appearance was a bit off, and his way of speaking was weird, but he was a good kid.

Anyway, we set off quickly.

Getting to the labyrinth itself was easy.

Thanks to Cheong Yurang, we were the first to enter.

“Let’s go.”

And the first sight of the Beastkin’s labyrinth—

The very air was different.

What stretched before us was an endless sky.

And then—

“…The sea?”

-Be careful. The Beastkin’s labyrinth won’t be like the ones you know.

Yeah, but even so, the sudden appearance of the sea was—

‘How are we supposed to go down?’

Fortunately, there was a staircase leading to what looked like a shoreline.

A rabbit Beastkin, noticing it, smirked as she looked at me.

“I expected more from the human guide, but you’re even worse than I thought.” “Miyu, do you have a death wish?” “……”

But she was quickly reprimanded by Cheong Yurang. As expected, she was a good kid.

“Then let’s quickly take down the boss and move on.”

The first-floor boss of the Beastkin’s labyrinth was a giant crab.

After swiftly defeating it,

I turned to Cheong Yurang and spoke.

“Mind telling me now?” “Hm? About what?” “The exact details of the request.”

At my words, everyone around us fell silent. They stared at Cheong Yurang with expressions of disbelief.

“…Sis?” “Ah, right. I’ve been busy lately, so I didn’t explain properly.” “……”

Busy? Then what was with handing me water or towels while lazing around…?

-Finally showing her true colors, huh? Did you figure out her real intentions?

“No, sis, even for you, forgetting something like that is…” “I’m sorry.”

Cheong Yurang pouted as she spoke.

At that expression, the girl called Miyu’s face softened slightly.

“If it’s you, sis, it’s understandable.” “……”

Is this party really okay?

“You know about the recent anomalies in labyrinths, right?”

Cheong Yurang spoke in a grave tone.

Of course I knew.

‘I’ve experienced every single one of those anomalies.’

Honestly, if someone suspected us, I wouldn’t even blame them.

Our party encountered way too many anomalies.

-That, too, is the mark of a hero. Truly splendid.

‘…Do you just praise anything?’

-Nonsense. Trials that don’t kill the hero only make them stronger. So, a [propensity] for causing incidents is something to welcome.

‘I’d rather not risk my life for it.’

Anyway, since I was involved in most of those anomalies, I nodded.

“It’s happening in our labyrinth too. For some reason, people who enter just… don’t come back.” “But the guild’s still crowded.” “It’s just the early signs. Thanks to the Adventurer’s Guild in the human branch, we noticed the warning signs and acted.”

So, another Green Bone Demon or Dark Knight?

‘That’s gonna be tough.’

-You’re telling me you took down something like the Green Bone Demon and the Dark Knight?

The Holy Sword sounded shocked.

-How the hell did you pull that off? Your swordsmanship is impressive, but that shouldn’t be enough.

I couldn’t tell it.

Not only was our time together limited,

but if this guy fell into someone else’s hands, my secrets might leak.

‘…Secrets.’

-Hmph. Secrets or not, if I get my hands on them, they won’t stay hidden for long.

‘Then figure it out yourself.’

We descended further. Strangely, even after going down from the shore, we kept arriving at more shores.

-The labyrinth’s mystery. Here, space and time are tangled, and common sense doesn’t apply.

We made it to the 5th floor.

‘…Back in the Cradle, I only got to the 4th floor.’

I didn’t expect to reach the 5th floor here.

Just as I was thinking that—

Crunch.

A strange sound began echoing from somewhere.

I was the first to react, and Cheong Yurang approached me.

“Did you notice something?” “Heard a weird noise.” “On the 5th floor, the only thing that appears is the Abyss Crusher. Blue carapace, attacks with long, tentacle-like legs.” “But that’s no different from the ants in your labyrinth.”

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of something chewing. This time, others heard it too—everyone began bracing themselves.

“T-This is bad! There’s too many!” “I can’t even count them all!”

Pale-faced voices came from all directions. Cheong Yurang gulped.

“We have to run.” “…Abandon the floor exploration. This is a mission for the King!”

Only then did everyone scatter. Miyu, the rabbit girl, Cheong Yurang, and I started running.

‘…Running won’t solve this.’

-Sharp observation. The enemy numbers are overwhelming.

‘At least…’

Hundreds. No, far more.

I could handle dozens, but once the count surpassed a hundred, it was impossible.

If even one person faltered, the entire party would collapse in an instant.

‘And this is—’

Far beyond even that.

This wasn’t something we could face.

No matter how strong or resilient someone was—

‘Taking that head-on…’

Would mean breaking.

-Hmph, nonsense! A hero wielding me should cut down hordes of monsters like this in a single swing!

‘…That’s a hero.’

Ignoring the Holy Sword, I kept running.

Around me were Cheong Yurang, Miyu, and Glasses B.

‘…The rest—’

Were all separated.

So what I saw next was—

Creatures like bone-white insects.

Countless white bugs filling the horizon.

“Hold them off! No matter what, we must protect Lady Cheong Yurang!”

Some of the party members acted as decoys, casting spells to divert attention.

“You don’t need to worry about us.”

Cheong Yurang gritted her teeth.

“You’re our honored guest. Focus on surviving.” “As much as it pains me, Lady Cheong Yurang is right. I’ll stake my life to protect you both, so don’t worry.”

Glasses B adjusted his glasses as he spoke.

Of course, that was the plan.

Cheong Yurang thought too highly of me, but—

‘I have to survive no matter what.’

Because the most important thing was me.

I took a slow, deep breath.

‘Running isn’t an option anyway.’

We were only halfway across the shore, yet the enemies already covered the horizon.

Even if we escaped this place—

‘There might be more on the 3rd floor.’

Maybe even greater numbers, even deadlier foes.

In that case—

‘I need to create a safe space here.’

-Quick thinking. But how do you plan to do that?

‘…An underground shelter.’

-Hm?

The Holy Sword sounded puzzled. I stretched my hand downward.

‘Steal.’

Jeoltu.

In an instant, I stole all the sand from the space below.

I left at least 30 meters of ground above so the monsters wouldn’t collapse it.

-Wh— A space-related Gift?!

Fortunately, Jeoltu’s stolen area was terrifyingly vast.

‘We can hold out for a while.’

I pushed Cheong Yurang, Miyu, and Glasses B inside, then covered the entrance with sand again.

Just in case, I left a few air holes.

“To create a space like this in an instant… Truly remarkable.” “How did you manage spatial manipulation? No, perhaps this is an earth-related ability?” “Just be quiet.”

I snapped at Cheong Yurang and rubbed my temples. My head throbbed violently.

‘…Did I steal too much at once?’

The headache was unbearable. Something warm trickled from my nose.

“Y-Your nose! Are you—?”

Cheong Yurang’s voice faded as I blacked out.

Me, Cheong Yurang, a rabbit Beastkin named Miyu, and Glasses B.

The four of us were trapped in the labyrinth.

As we pondered how to escape—

“Y-You. I-I have something to say.” “Hm?” “P-Put this on me.” “……”

My face went blank.

Because what Cheong Yurang handed me was—

A dog collar.

“……?”

What the hell?