episode_0175

Labyrinth 6th Floor.

Silence hung over the resting area of the corridor zone.

Jung Yooshin looked at the woman in the pendant, then raised his head to look at Sartre.

A busty beauty with a bob cut turned into a muscular middle-aged man?

It was an utterly absurd story.

“What kind of engraving is it?”

Sartre smiled at Jung Yooshin’s question.

“Gender-reversal engraving.”

Gender-reversal?

It was a concept he had never heard of before.

“Gen… Gender-reversal? What is that?”

“Think of it as the sexes of men and women being switched.”

Jung Yooshin put his hand to his forehead.

He felt dizzy.

How could a penis appear and disappear under the sky?

Was that even a sensible thing to say?

It was the most outrageous engraving, second only to personality excretion.

The darkness of the labyrinth was truly deep. Deeper than he had imagined.

Jung Yooshin immediately shook his head.

‘No.’

When it came to engravings, he was just as bad.

A corruption-of-the-innocent engraving.

It was one of the worst of the worst, specifically targeting and ruining virgins.

The enemy of virtuous virgins who protected their chastity.

If he returned to the modern world with this engraving, wouldn’t he be immediately imprisoned?

‘There are all kinds of engravings in the world.’

Jung Yooshin fiddled with the pendant and handed it to Sartre.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“What do you mean, ‘a lot’?”

Another question came to mind.

“Why do you wear makeup? Do you miss the old days?”

Sartre chuckled.

“Curious?”

Jung Yooshin hesitated for a moment and shook his head.

“Now that I think about it, it might be a sensitive question. Please pretend you didn’t hear it.”

“Too bad.”

The party members, having finished their meal, spread out their blankets and lay down.

They didn’t set up a separate night watch.

Because Sartre had alarm magic.

Sartre filled Varg’s dog bowl with water and chanted a spell.

“Oh, Naiad, Spirit God of Water. Hear the prayer of your faithful servant, Sartre, and embrace this place with the power of purity…”

[Aqua Sanctuary]

As the chanting ended, the water in the dog bowl emitted a brilliant light.

Jung Yooshin immediately felt his body relax.

His body, which had been tired from rushing down the floors, felt much better.

Jung Yooshin loosened his walker’s laces and the seams of his leather armor, then leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

* * *

8 hours later.

Jung Yooshin and the party members woke up, tidied up their surroundings, and left the resting area.

Under Varg’s scouting, they smoothly passed through the corridor and crossed the 6th floor transfer stone to the 7th floor.

They continued along the corridor and stopped at a resting area for a short break.

“Huh?”

A single jar was placed in the center of the room.

Jung Yooshin looked at it closely.

‘What is it?’

The jar, placed on a stone pedestal, looked similar to the holy water fonts found at the entrance of cathedrals.

He thought it was a resting area, but there was another strange object in the room.

He was about to tell them to just pass by, but Sartre clapped his hands.

“Ah! I see. Is this ‘that’?”

Lena, who was behind Jung Yooshin, poked her face out.

“Is that the jar containing remains that often appears in the corridor zone?”

“That’s right. You’re lucky.”

Sartre smiled and confidently approached the jar.

Lena also brushed past Jung Yooshin and walked quickly.

Jung Yooshin, Varg, and Mick also approached and stood by the jar.

They looked inside the jar.

Clear water.

And at the bottom, a skeleton that seemed to have been dead for a long time was submerged.

‘Skeleton water?’

For some reason, Wonhyo Daesa came to mind.

Lena examined it in detail for a while and nodded.

“I’m sure of it. It’s one of the labyrinth’s ‘mysteries’ that I’ve only seen in books? I heard it’s a rather rare ‘mystery’.”

“That’s right.”

Mystery?

Jung Yooshin’s expression soured.

He had no good feelings about objects in the labyrinth.

Like the sacrilegious writing inscribed on the leather he had seen in the watchtower in the forest zone.

It was a terrible trap that would possess you with an evil spirit as soon as you saw it.

And what about the red orb he saw in the corridor zone?

Didn’t they say it was a gateway to another dimension?

He almost died.

All of them were objects that seemed to open the path to hardship just by looking at them.

Jung Yooshin stepped back.

“Let’s just go? Is it really necessary to linger, calling it a ‘mystery’ or whatever?”

Lena shook her head.

“I heard that if you ‘purify’ the water in this jar and drink it, it has the effect of temporarily increasing your strength and stamina. For about a day or two. It’s a waste to just pass it by.”

At Lena’s answer, Jung Yooshin peeked inside the jar again.

At first glance, the water in the jar looked clear.

But he didn’t feel like drinking it at all. Because there was a skeleton at the bottom.

“What happens if you drink it without using that ‘purification’?”

Sartre tapped his finger.

“Originally, you shouldn’t drink it.”

“You’ll get a stomachache.”

Jung Yooshin tilted his head at Sartre and Lena’s answers. It wasn’t that big of a risk.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Let’s just go. Is there any need to touch something in the labyrinth? Who can even use ‘purification’ magic in the first place?”

Lena smiled and pointed to Sartre.

“It’s okay. Sartre is a priest who serves the Spirit God of Water. Simply put, he’s a ‘purification’ magic user.”

“…”

Jung Yooshin closed his mouth.

Looking at her sparkling eyes, it seemed like someone had to drink it.

It was as if she had completely forgotten the purpose of the labyrinth expedition.

At least for this moment, she had nothing left but a thirst for exploration of the unknown.

Jung Yooshin crossed his arms and pondered.

‘Stamina and strength.’

There was someone else who needed to drink the water, even if it wasn’t him.

‘No, two people.’

Jung Yooshin glanced sideways at Mick.

Mick had already taken out a bone from his backpack and was playing with Varg.

Varg, unlike his usual dignified self, was wagging his tail and playing tug-of-war with Mick.

Seeing him drool and pull on the bone, he was completely a dog, not a wolf.

While he was watching Mick and Varg.

Sartre chanted a spell.

[Purification]

The holy light that emanated from Sartre’s hand lingered over the water jar and disappeared.

Was it purified?

He realized it from Sartre’s relaxed expression.

‘The divine magic was successful.’

Lena took out a wooden cup from her backpack, scooped up water from the jar, and handed it to Jung Yooshin.

“Mr. Sca, try drinking some.”

Lena said, her eyes sparkling.

Skeleton water that temporarily increased strength and stamina.

Wonhyo Daesa’s red ginseng skeleton water.

It was a buff that was hard to come by.

Jung Yooshin closed his eyes and drank.

The water in the jar was cold and refreshing.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but it was even sweet.

“Phew.”

“How is it? Do you feel like your strength and stamina have increased?”

Jung Yooshin moved around and tilted his head.

He felt like his fatigue had been relieved, and he felt like he was overflowing with energy.

“I’m not sure? Why don’t other people try it too?”

“That’s right. Mick, and Mr. Varg, come here.”

Mick and Varg, who were playing tug-of-war nearby, approached.

Lena took out a wooden bowl and a wooden cup from her backpack, filled them with water from the jar, and handed them over.

The two of them received the water and drank it without saying a word.

“Huh?!”

Varg lapped up the water, then widened his eyes and shouted.

The party members widened their eyes and watched Varg.

“I forgot.”

Varg approached the water jar and lifted one leg.

Pssssssss.

Urine splashed against the water jar.

“…”

The party members silently looked at Varg and then turned their heads away.

“This old me forgot to mark my territory. Mick, you have a talent for handling wolves.”

At Varg’s words, Mick shrugged his shoulders, as if he was dumbfounded.

Lena and Sartre also drank the skeleton water.

Although both of them were in the rear, there was no reason not to drink it since they could get a strength and stamina buff for free.

They stored the remaining water in pouches.

“Ah! I heard it also makes you more virile.”

Sartre said with a smile.

With this level of effect, even Wonhyo Daesa would gulp down skeleton water in broad daylight.

But Jung Yooshin’s penis didn’t budge.

It felt like it didn’t even register.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t had sex in a while.

He had been too busy to spare the time.

The party left the room and walked down the corridor again. Thanks to the unexpected gain, the party’s steps were light.

* * *

Four days had passed since they left the corridor zone.

Jung Yooshin and the party members stood in front of the transfer stone leading to the 10th floor.

Jung Yooshin looked around at the party members.

“…”

Everyone was silent.

A strange tension hung over the party members.

Because they hadn’t encountered any monsters from the 6th floor to the end of the 9th floor.

The upper-level monsters of the corridor zone that Lena had told them about before camping were nowhere to be seen.

Wraiths, ethereal monsters that were immune to ordinary physical attacks.

Skeleton Knights armed with solid armor and Skeleton Quarrelers who fired powerful crossbows.

Skeleton Golems made of giant clumps of bones.

If there was no danger, one might think they were lucky, but the party members were veterans.

They immediately realized that the situation was strangely out of place.

And now, in front of the 10th floor.

Jung Yooshin smiled bitterly.

He had been able to learn about the party members during these four days.

Especially Lena, the magician who was Bryn’s friend.

Lena was a very scholarly person.

She seemed to want to explore the labyrinth itself, rather than trying to obtain valuable items from it.

And she liked to talk about the mysteries of the labyrinth.

Around the time of camping, Lena quietly approached and talked about monsters.

Jung Yooshin was a quiet listener.

However, the questions he occasionally threw out made Lena’s face light up.

“Mr. Sca, you seem like you’re not, but you have a very sharp eye.”

“What kind of feeling is it?”

“A warrior who handles women well…? Like a gentleman, but if you get on his bad side, you’ll be leashed and dragged around for the rest of your life?”

“…”

At the sudden insult, Jung Yooshin stared blankly at Lena before realizing.

‘Ah. She was Bryn’s friend.’

She was too honest.

There was a reason why the two of them were close.

After that, they continued to talk about various things.

During the conversation, Lena’s true feelings seemed to slip out.

“If it weren’t dangerous, I’d want to stay in the labyrinth forever.”

His spine tingled. He felt an obsession that was close to madness.

“When the expedition is over, let’s go to the library in the central area. I go there sometimes too. Why don’t you come with me, Mr. Sca?”

Jung Yooshin managed his expression and nodded.

“Sh, should we?”

Lena also asked Jung Yooshin about the corpse of the old hobgoblin he had seen in the 5th floor Ingraved.

“What do you think of that hobgoblin?”

“What would I know?”

Jung Yooshin shrugged his shoulders and replied.

If he had to say, he thought a boss monster had appeared on the 5th floor. Like a game?

Of course, he couldn’t be sure.

Back to the present.

Even Lena, with a stiff expression, silently stared at the transfer stone leading to the 10th floor.

Mick gripped his shield and approached the transfer stone, placing his hand on it.

Whoosh.

A portal of red and blue light was created.

As members of the labyrinth expedition, they had to investigate if an anomaly occurred.

Jung Yooshin cocked his crossbow and placed his hand on the handle of his bastard sword.

Mick put his body inside the red portal.

Jung Yooshin immediately stepped into the portal as well.

Inside the red light.

Jung Yooshin felt a sense of floating and gripped his weapon tightly.