episode_0318

‘Are we going to eat this?’

Jeong Yu-shin sent a hand signal.

The wolf beastman replied.

‘It’s edible.’

Jeong Yu-shin looked down at the Fishman.

A corpse killed by twisting its neck using psychokinesis.

Its bulging eyes were looking directly at him.

Looks aside, the smell was awful.

He had been exploring the labyrinth layers for a month, catching and cooking various monsters to eat.

Grilled mushroom man eaten in the forest area.

Giant spider legs boiled with herbs.

Fried larvae and boiled frog legs eaten in the swamp area.

He somehow managed to eat even the ogre breast steak in the mountainous area, but.

‘This is a bit much.’

Dietrich’s expression, who had taken off his helmet, wasn’t good either.

Dietrich sent a hand signal.

‘I think we can take out our earmuffs.’

The three took out their earmuffs and stood in front of the Fishman corpse.

“Wolf, are you going to eat this?”

“It’s not inedible.”

“Why on earth would we eat this…?”

“Among the Fishmen, there are individuals who use magic that forcibly opens the ears. Earmuffs are useless in those cases.”

“…!”

“Eating Fishmen gives you resistance to the curse of the Fishman shaman that will appear on the next floor. If the song rings out during battle, you can avoid a difficult situation.”

Dietrich narrowed his eyes.

“That’s strange. Even though I’m a high-ranking explorer, I’ve never heard of that information.”

“Usually, you wouldn’t. Because you wouldn’t think of eating it.”

Wolf Scar took out a dagger and cut a handful of flesh from the Fishman’s hind leg, wrapping it in cloth.

“And maknae, it’s okay now, but later, if a big guy shows up, you have to stop close combat.”

Jeong Yu-shin nodded.

“I know. Was it that boomer guy? The one that explodes when you get close?”

Wolf Scar grinned.

“That’s right. And one more thing. I hate to nag, but listen. You know about the monsters that come out beyond the 25th floor of the underwater cave, right?”

Jeong Yu-shin nodded.

How could he not know?

Before entering the labyrinth, the wolf guy had told him which monsters to watch out for among those appearing in the underwater cave.

The most annoying one was.

Deep Eye.

A monster resembling an octopus.

Transparent, flying silently through the air.

A terrifying creature that shoots poison needles from the ends of its tentacles or sticks to your face and tears off your eyeballs and skin.

If you wear earmuffs because of the cave-echoing song, you can’t hear the monsters approaching properly.

It was even more difficult to detect the guy quietly swimming through the air, even when not in combat.

The Deep Eye was a monster that took advantage of that weakness to ambush.

The solution?

Of course, you have to rely on other senses.

Detect it with the beastman’s sense of smell.

Or maintain a constant protection magic.

If all else fails, you can only sharpen your senses through mana adaptation and perceive it with your sixth sense.

“Actually, if you’re careful about that transparent octopus, you can easily get through. It’s easy for us with high levels, but it might be difficult for you.”

“Ah! You mean that octopus monster? I know it well.”

Dietrich joined in, smiling.

“Before entering this floor a long time ago, I stopped by the library and read books and listened to the vivid testimonies of explorers, but when I met it in person, it was a more terrible monster than I had imagined. I almost died.”

“Ah, right. I heard that.”

Wolf Scar stopped talking in the middle of his reply.

“…”

A strange silence flowed between the men.

Dietrich narrowed his eyes.

“Wolf, I’m telling you this story for the first time today, but.”

Wolf Scar turned his gaze away.

“Not you. That’s what another explorer’s testimony said.”

“···Is that so? Since we’re on the topic, let me ask. Have we ever met outside the city?”

Wolf Scar turned his gaze away.

“I wonder. If you eat Fishman alive and enjoy it, I might be willing to answer.”

Dietrich gave a wry smile.

“That’s a bit difficult. But I liked the giant spider legs. They were surprisingly chewy and had a lot of flavor.”

“Right? It’s a delicacy that only those in the know recognize.”

The three men chatted about food as they moved through the cave.

The cave was not dark.

Because the blue light rising from under the surrounding puddles illuminated their vision.

The wolf guy occasionally went to the rocks or puddles and picked up seaweed or crustaceans.

Every time, Dietrich’s face turned pale.

“W, Wolf, can you really eat that?”

Unable to bear it any longer, Dietrich pointed to the seaweed in the wolf beastman’s hand and asked.

“It’s edible. It’s not for today’s meal, so calm down.”

Dietrich turned his head and looked at Jeong Yu-shin.

“What do you think, Scar?”

Jeong Yu-shin shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s okay.”

He didn’t have much aversion to seaweed because he ate it as seaweed or dried laver.

But when the wolf guy picked up a starfish, Jeong Yu-shin’s face also turned pale.

“Third, can you eat that?”

The wolf beastman grinned and threw the starfish away.

“I’m kidding. I can’t eat this. Something like this.”

‘This guy.’

He had a playful side.

You surprised me.

After that, the wolf beastman caught not only small shrimp and shellfish but also crayfish.

“You’re lucky.”

Wolf Scar said, holding out a struggling purple crayfish.

Its appearance was completely different from the crayfish he had seen so far.

‘Four legs?’

Its eyes were also abnormally large.

What should I say?

It was like a crayfish that had been exposed to radiation once.

“Explorers avoid this crayfish because of its appearance, but it tastes surprisingly good. It’s not poisonous either.”

Dietrich quickly interjected.

“Wolf, let’s eat it without the eyes.”

“The eyes are the most delicious part.”

“…”

“Just kidding.”

Jeong Yu-shin and his party listened to stories they didn’t know whether were jokes or serious as they passed floors 21 and 22 and reached floor 23.

The wolf guy looked around and pointed in one direction.

“We fell far from the transfer stone. We’ll have to find a shelter and camp tonight.”

The party walked for a while and found a small shelter.

A small hollow in one side of the cave wall.

Jeong Yu-shin entered the shelter and looked around.

‘Tsk.’

Unlike the rugged cave, the inside of the shelter was built of brick.

It wasn’t cozy. It was full of salt and moisture.

But he could handle this level of discomfort. You can’t talk about the life of an explorer without camping.

But.

‘What’s that again?’

The shelter was full of circular sculptures engraved with strange characters.

And, in the center of the shelter, stood a stone statue about 2m long.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the statue was so badly damaged that it was difficult to know its shape.

‘It looks like some kind of octopus statue.’

I don’t know for sure.

I don’t think there was this kind of ‘mystery’ when I read the book.

Dietrich also stood next to Jeong Yu-shin and stared at the statue with a blank face.

“Scar, isn’t it amazing?”

“What’s amazing?”

“Why these ‘mysteries’ exist in the labyrinth layers. The first time I see the style and characters. But they don’t deviate too much from human perception, do they?”

Certainly.

5th floor, Forgotten City Engrave.

The collapsed spire in the forest area.

Various antiques in the corridor area.

10th floor, Gray Village.

20th floor, Dwarven Hold.

Some were familiar architectural styles, and there were unique ones, but.

Except for Warpstone, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

“I found this saying when I searched the literature. Each layer of the labyrinth was created by an Outer God. Isn’t it amazing? Creating a world and giving it ‘laws’. That’s really amazing power. Look at that statue. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Dietrich’s eyes sparkled once again.

Jeong Yu-shin stared blankly at Dietrich.

‘It’s not easy.’

What on earth happened to Dietrich in the past that he’s so obsessed with divinity?

At that time.

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

“Dietrich, do you have some kind of demon maniac or divine obsession engraving? You know, the kind where your dick gets hard when you see an evil altar or a suspicious antique, and your hands move on their own.”

“…”

Dietrich was silent for a moment before shaking his head.

“···I’ve heard that there are engravings of that kind, but I don’t have one.”

Jeong Yu-shin’s eyes narrowed.

This bastard.

‘Something’s weird.’

Why does my suspicion grow stronger the more I see him?

‘It smells. It smells.’

The scent of a troll who will dump a huge pile of shit.

It’s the same in games.

If a noob throws, you can just ask about their parents and move on, but.

If a pro throws, the game is over.

“Let’s eat.”

But before Jeong Yu-shin could say anything, Wolf Scar interrupted and settled the situation.

He strode in, kicked the sculptures, and threw the strange statue against the wall.

Thud!!!

The statue hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

Dietrich’s face hardened for a moment, but he soon smiled.

“By the way, I’m looking forward to what kind of meal it will be today.”

Wolf Scar took out a pot, fixed it on the firewood, and boiled water.

After a while.

He put the Fishman’s leg meat and dwarven fine liquor into the boiling water and simmered it thoroughly.

A foul smell rose with the foam for a moment, but it quickly disappeared.

Wolf Scar threw away the water used to boil the legs, took in new water, and added various crayfish, shrimp, and shellfish, along with potatoes, corn, and ham.

‘What is it?’

When the seafood and vegetables were cooked to some extent.

Leaving only the minimum amount of water, he took out various red-colored spices from his backpack, sprinkled them in the pot, took out a spatula, and mixed the contents of the pot.

Dietrich widened his eyes and twitched his nose.

“It smells good?”

Jeong Yu-shin, who was pondering, clapped his hands.

“Ah.”

I know what it is.

Seafood boil.

A Western-style seafood stew made by boiling seafood, corn, potatoes, and sausage together, then mixing them with a spicy and salty sauce.

Originally, you would put it in a bag and mix it, but there was no room for that.

Wolf Scar picked up a ladle, tasted the sauce, and smiled.

“It’s seasoned right. Let’s eat.”

The three men sat around the pot and began to eat.

Dietrich picked up a small shrimp and ate it, his eyes widening.

“T, This is really delicious?”

Jeong Yu-shin also grabbed a crayfish and tore it apart to eat.

He could taste the sweetness in the plump flesh, and the spicy and salty seasoning wrapped around his tongue.

‘It’s really delicious.’

It was the most delicious of the labyrinth food he had eaten so far.

The Fishman’s leg meat was also good.

The gamey smell that made him want to vomit had disappeared, and it had a juicy flavor with a good mix of savory oil.

Should I say it was a taste between chicken and fish?

The three men devoured the food as if possessed. Not only that, but they even scraped the remaining sauce with bread.

Dietrich praised it highly.

“I’ve eaten a lot of high-end cuisine, but there was no food as delicious as this. Thank you. It was really delicious.”

“Is that so? I’m glad.”

“By the way, how did you think of this kind of food···.”

Dietrich’s question could not be continued.

Because the soft and beautiful tone of singing slowly began to echo through the cave.

Ah, ah, ah.

Jeong Yu-shin’s face went blank.

A sweet and melodious tone.

It was closer to humming than singing.

A heavenly voice that shouldn’t exist in this world stuck to his mind in a sticky way after passing through his ears.

‘It’s dangerous.’

Slap!!!

Sensing the danger, Jeong Yu-shin slapped himself on the cheek once, and immediately took out his earmuffs and put them on.

Wolf Scar sent a hand signal.

‘Forward. Be alert.’

Is there something?

Jeong Yu-shin looked at the entrance of the shelter with his greatsword on his shoulder.

The three men spread out their formation to check each other’s hand signals.

Wait a moment.

The cloth blocking the entrance to the shelter fluttered.

A pink-haired human woman ran into the shelter.

‘Help me!’

The woman was so desperate that she didn’t even have the mind to sign, so she desperately moved her mouth.

But the faces of the three men were indifferent.

“Please!!!”

The woman shouted at the top of her lungs, but it couldn’t be heard.

‘What are you going to do?’

Dietrich sent a hand signal to Wolf Scar.

Wolf Scar immediately gestured to Jeong Yu-shin.

‘What are you going to do? Maknae, you decide.’

Jeong Yu-shin thought for a moment and raised his hand.

‘Let’s take a look first. If they’re weird guys, we can just kill them.’

The faces of Wolf Scar and Dietrich changed subtly.

Dietrich waved his hand.

‘S, Scar? S, Suddenly, you’re going to rape them?’

‘No. I’m going to kill them.’

‘A, Are you going to kill their anus?’

This bastard.

Is he possessed by Satan?

While the stain of suspicion was growing.

Wolf Scar stepped in.

‘Dietrich, calm down. It means we’re going to subdue them if they’re weird guys.’

‘Ah. I see. You surprised me a bit.’

Jeong Yu-shin glared at Dietrich, then turned his gaze to the pink-haired woman.

Light armor.

Judging from the crossbow and dagger she was wearing.

She’s a guide.

Jeong Yu-shin gestured.

‘Come closer first.’

But the woman misunderstood Jeong Yu-shin’s hand signal and quickly went outside and dragged a man into the shelter.

A man in his 20s wearing plate armor.

He seemed to have already lost consciousness and was closing his eyes.

Judging from the way he was flaring his nostrils, it seemed difficult for him to breathe.

Jeong Yu-shin observed the plate armor man and stroked his chin.

Unusually pale skin.

Bumps and scales sprouting around his neck.

Besides, the strange stench emanating from his body.

Is he even human?

He was a little closer to a Fishman.

Jeong Yu-shin frowned.

It smells. It smells.

‘I smell a nasty trap.’