Chapter 74
Chapter 74: Chapter 74
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
Unlike normal, Bowl was shaking due to fear. Its confidence had dwindled away without the champion by its side. Without Min Sung, surviving the Infernal Labyrinth at a mere level 1,800 was utterly impossible. Similarly, Ho Sung, at a loss, put his ice-cold hand on his hot forehead. At that moment, Bowl poked at his leg. After looking down, Ho Sung looked in the direction Bowl was looking. There were two Death Knights coming toward them like Grim Reapers.
Seeing the monsters, Bowl prepared to cast a spell, its eyes bursting with black flames. However, just as Bowl was about to start chanting a spell, Ho Sung picked the doll up, stuck it to his side and bolted in the opposite direction of the monsters, crying out for the champion’s help desperately.
“Heeeeeeeeeeelp!!”
After leveling up, Ho Sung’s skills had also been enhanced, including ‘Wind Walk’ and ‘Haste,’ both of which boosted his speed. While running, Ho Sung studied how the walls were shifting in order to figure out how to get away from the Death Knights. Closing in on Ho Sung and Bowl, one of the Death Knights raised its black sword above its head. At that moment, Bowl cast a spell, and smoke billowed from underneath the Death Knights, pinning both of their horses to the ground.
‘Neeeeigh!’
The two undead horses writhed due to the discomfort, struggling to free themselves. Then, Bowl took the opportunity to look around and pointed at a forty-five-degree angle.
“There!”
When Ho Sung looked in the direction the doll was pointing, he saw two walls about to merge together, leaving just enough room for them to pass through. Of course, it didn’t take long for Ho Sung to realize that that was their only way out.
Jerking toward the merging walls, Ho Sung bolted even faster. Then, while their horses were still pinned to the ground, the Death Knights swung their swords, shooting black, ominous projectiles out from their blades at Ho Sung and Bowl. While the projectiles closed in on them like death drawing near, Ho Sung ran with everything he had and shoved himself into the crack in the wall.
As Ho Sung and Bowl disappeared into the wall, the projectiles scattered away upon hitting the wall, and after staring at the disappearing pair with eagerness, the Death Knights shook the smoke pinning the horses to the ground off and turned away.
—
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Having survived the Death Knights by the skin of his teeth, Ho Sung breathed heavily while carrying Bowl at his side.
‘Holy hell! I thought I was gonna get crushed to death by those walls! That was too close. WAY too close! Huff! Huff!’
Bowl, who was still being carried by Ho Sung, tapped on his arm. At that point, Ho Sung’s heart sank with apprehension. Sure enough, just as he caught his breath, yet another monster appeared before Ho Sung’s eyes, and the shadow of death loomed over his face again.
An enormous dragon-like creature with brown fur was coming toward them, flying low to the ground. It was a drake.
“… For real!?” Ho Sung murmured with a blank look on his face. The only way out was forward, toward the Drake. At that point, a sense of despair washed over him. “Is this how I die? Damn it… I didn’t even get to try out the Death Knight’s sword.”
At that moment, the drake opened its mouth wide open, revealing its frightening teeth and letting out an excruciatingly loud screech.
Lesser dragons, drakes were incapable of breathing fire or using any magic attacks. However, their indestructible teeth, which were capable of cutting into just about anything, made up for their lack of magical abilities.
Staring into the gaping abyss that was the inside of the drake’s mouth, Ho Sung’s heart sank at the sight of his impending death. At that moment, just as the drake was about to swallow Ho Sung whole, the wall behind him and Bowl crumbled down, revealing the champion standing behind it. A projectile shot out of the Orichalcon Dagger in his hand and flew toward the drake. Upon hitting the drake, a streak of light appeared across its body, and the drake exploded into pieces of meat, its remains scattered all over.
With shaky eyes, Ho Sung stared at the champion from behind.
“This is just the beginning. Keep a safe distance, even if it’s more dangerous to do so,” Min Sung said in his usual, ice-cold voice.
Looking deathly pale, Ho Sung rose to his feet, his legs shaking uncontrollably. The Infernal Labyrinth was a frightening experience that made death seem like an appealing choice. When he saw Bowl run toward the champion and jump into his pocket, Ho Sung hoped that he could do the same. Then, Min Sung pointed quietly toward the items dropped by the drake.
“O-of course, sir,” Ho Sung said and picked up the items while still looking pale. Although relieved to be reunited with the champion, the champion’s remark that it was just the beginning brought about a sense of suffocating fear for him, making Ho Sung sick to his stomach.
—
Impressed, Jan stared at the screen of his digital watch. Min Sung was clearing the labyrinth at a frightening speed. At the rate he was going, the champion would surely clear the dungeon in just a few hours. Staring at the digital watch with excitement, Jan stroked the chain wrapped around his arm. The chain shook in his arm as if responding to its owner’s touch. Then, taking the Labyrinth Key out of his inventory, Jan stood in front of the entrance. Because of the key, the labyrinth system asked if he would like to enter the dungeon instead of declining his entrance altogether. Unhurriedly, Jan tapped ‘Accept,’ and the key in his hand slowly shattered into specks of dust.
[Access granted.]
After that, the system lifted Jan off the ground and sucked him into the dungeon.
—
Fitting to the difficulty of the dungeon, the monsters within the Infernal Labyrinth had noticeably higher health and defense. However, they could hardly inflict any damage on the champion. Needless to say, killing them was barely a challenge for Min Sung. However, unlike for the champion, casually roaming about the labyrinth was a luxury that neither Ho Sung nor Bowl could afford.
“It got dark in here,” Ho Sung said, looking up at the sky within the labyrinth. Just like he had said, it was now night, which meant that the monsters became even more fierce and aggressive. Of course, the dangers of that applied only to Ho Sung and Bowl, as Min Sung was capable of seeing in the dark. The only variables were the time and the way in which the labyrinth shifted, which seemed random and unpredictable. Killing the monster was hardly an issue for the champion. However, the fact that he couldn’t get out of the labyrinth earlier was proving to be a major source of stress for him.
“Bowl. Over here.”
At its master’s beckoning, Bowl waddled toward Min Sung and looked up at him.
“Look for an exit.”
“Me?”
Instead of giving the doll an answer, Min Sung grabbed Bowl and threw it up into the air as he would a baseball. Seeing Bowl soar up in the air, Ho Sung stared at the doll wide-eyed and with a dropped jaw. After reaching a frightening height, Bowl identified the direction of the exit and let gravity bring him back down. Snatching the doll from midair, Min Sung asked, “So?”
“… I did see one, but I can’t say for certain, master.”
Hearing that, Min Sung threw Bowl into the air once again. At which point, Bowl cackled as if it was on a ride at an amusement park and looked around in search of an exit.
“Anything?” Min Sung asked.
“Found it!”
Min Sung let go of Bowl, and the doll, upon landing, pointed in a certain direction and said, “That way, North.”
Nodding briefly, the champion said, “Let’s go.”
“Uh… S-sir? I think we should figure out the pattern in which these walls are shifting. They’re still changing as we speak,” Ho Sung said, only to be ignored by the champion, who walked toward a wall and moved his dagger from his right hand to his left. Then, winding his right arm back like he would if he was drawing a bow, he threw a punch, and the wall came down with a loud, explosive sound.
“We’ll make our path as we go,” Min Sung said as he walked through the hole in the wall while Bowl and Ho Sung stared at him in a daze.
—
Getting out of the elevator, Jan cracked his neck. When he looked down at his watch, he saw that Min Sung was still clearing the labyrinth at the same frightening pace.
“… How is he so fast?”
Having been informed of the labyrinth by the man in the black robe prior to entering, escaping the labyrinth was hardly an issue for Jan. However, unlike Min Sung, most hunters would still be wandering around the early stages of the labyrinth by that point.
“Aren’t you an interesting one,” Jan murmured, smiling subtly as he walked toward the labyrinth.
—
With a loud explosive sound, the last wall of the labyrinth came down, and Min Sung, brushing the dust off of his knuckles, walked on. Upon coming out of the labyrinth, the champion, Ho Sung, and Bowl were met by an open field of ominous, desolate, lifeless land stretching into the horizon.
“Wow, I didn’t think we would punch our way out of the labyrinth,” Ho Sung murmured, shaking his head in disbelief as he walked out of the hole in the wall with Bowl.
“Eh? What’s this? Where are we? I thought we were at the end?”