Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Conquering the Labyrinth Starting from the 50th Floor (1)
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I fought off the alluring warmth of my blankets and the comfort of my bed, finally forcing myself up.
Today was the day the labyrinth opened.
I learned that if I went to the Labyrinth Summoning Field in the city center, I would be automatically transported inside.
It happened five times, every thirty minutes from 10 AM to noon.
Yesterday, I had bought the basic equipment I’d need for the labyrinth.
After a quick wash, it was 8:30.
*Knock, knock—*
“Room service, sir.”
“Leave it outside.”
“Understood.”
After changing, I opened the door to find a cart laden with food on a silver tray.
I’d asked for a simple breakfast since dinner had been so excessive.
A basket held steaming white bread alongside thick-cut bacon, large bowls of soup, both boiled and fried eggs, and a fresh-looking salad.
Two types of fruit, one resembling an apple and the other a grape, were also served.
Well, considering the cost of the room, I suppose this much was to be expected.
After a hearty meal, I pushed the cart outside and went down to the first floor.
A different employee from yesterday was there.
“Room 301. I'm heading to the labyrinth, so I won't need any meals for a while. Please take care of the room.”
“Ah, yes, of course. We will ensure the room is in pristine condition for your return.”
I nodded and handed him a one-gold coin as a tip, and his face lit up.
Money really is the best.
I stepped out onto the street and walked toward the city center.
Truth be told, I didn't really need to go to the labyrinth today.
In fact, I might not have to go for the rest of my life.
I didn't know how long I would receive the attendance rewards, but they usually lasted for about seven days.
Even if they stopped tomorrow, I had already received 40,000 gold.
As long as I didn't live extravagantly in high-end inns, I would never have to worry about money again.
But this wasn't the modern world.
Some people look down on the police, calling them pigs or worse, but in a world without them, there's nowhere to turn if you get robbed or hurt.
There were lords and soldiers, but they were nothing like a police force.
They seemed to handle basic public order, like locking up people who caused a disturbance, but they didn't help victims of robbery or theft.
It might be different if you were the child of a noble or influential family, but otherwise, they didn't seem to care unless the criminal was caught in the act.
And Summoners, I was told, were even further off their radar.
I didn't know why they collected taxes then, but to protect myself from such dangers, I had no choice but to get stronger.
I double-checked the items in my inventory, then took out the Companion Summoning Card and put it in my pocket.
Unlike mounts or weapons, companions could only be summoned inside the labyrinth.
I was told to have the summoning card ready, since you could run into a monster right away if you were unlucky.
“Hey, young man. You heading to the labyrinth alone?”
A middle-aged man with a sturdy, muscular build approached me.
He looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, and there were three others behind him.
Two women and one man.
“What is it?”
“Ah, no need to be so guarded. We're not in the labyrinth yet. What floor do you usually clear?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“A prickly one, aren't you? Let us introduce ourselves first. We're a temporary party that mainly hunts on the third floor. I'm the party leader, Mun Hyeon-cheol.”
He offered a handshake, but I didn't take it.
A temporary party.
It wasn't a guild, but a term for a group that entered the labyrinth together.
They weren't necessarily made up of people rejected by guilds; I heard most of them were formerly in guilds and later went independent.
I also heard that since the deposit to found a guild was 30 gold, people operated like this until they saved up enough money.
During the basic training, I was warned to be careful, as some groups, though not all, had malicious intentions.
“What do you want?”
“We're usually a fixed party, but one of our members suddenly fell ill this morning and had to drop out…”
“Are you asking me to join you?”
“Judging by your gear, you seem to be around our level. We mainly hunt on the third floor, but we've been up to the fifth. Our average level is 6.”
The labyrinth clothes Luke had bought me were top-of-the-line, but what I was wearing now were just ordinary clothes I had bought separately yesterday.
My longsword was also a common iron sword, the kind most Summoners buy.
I could afford the best, but wearing expensive gear would just make me a target for plunder.
“If you're not interested, it's fine to refuse.”
Hmm, once you enter the labyrinth, you have to stay for ten days.
Having a party would be good for keeping watch at night, but with a companion, it probably wouldn't matter much.
“I'm more comfortable alone.”
“Well, can't be helped then. Hope you get some good loot.”
The man named Hyeon-cheol and the other party members behind him seemed nice enough, but you can't judge a person by their appearance.
As they say, seeing is wanting; they might get greedy looking at my gear.
After about ten minutes of watching the dense crowd gather, a blue light erupted, and my vision changed.
It suddenly grew dark, but the rocks on the ceiling emitted a faint glow, so it wasn't completely pitch-black.
I couldn't see any monsters yet, but I immediately pulled the card from my pocket.
“Bio Rein, Master of the Forgotten Space.”
As I called out his name, a man appeared in a flash of white light.
He looked exactly as he did when I first saw him at the Summoner's Shop.
He didn't exude the same domineering aura as before, but there was still a subtle air about him.
“Are you the one who summoned me?”
“Yes. Should I call you Rein?”
“Rein is my family name. My given name is Bio. Not that it matters what you call me. And you are?”
“Then I'll call you Bio. I'm Oh Hyeon-ung.”
“A strange name. In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you.”
He grinned and extended his hand for a handshake, just like last time, so I took it.
“Hmm? I expected as much, but you're pathetically weak.”
...I thought summoned companions were supposed to trust and follow their summoners. This guy was dissing me from the get-go. How rude.
“Sorry for being so weak.”
“No need to be sorry. I'll make you strong.”
Bio said with a shrug.
Before I could even ask what he meant, my vision shifted again.
It was much darker than before, my vision was poor, and the air felt stale—wait a minute, what in the world...
[You have achieved the feat of being the first to reach the 50th floor of the Kramis Labyrinth. All stats +3.]
Not the 5th floor, but the 50th?
“Hey, Bio? How did we get here...?”
“I brought you here because this seemed about right for your level. Should we go deeper?”
“What do you mean, my level is the 50th floor?”
This was absurd.
Each floor of the labyrinth had a recommended level.
Floors 1 to 3 were for level 6, floors 4 to 7 were for up to level 9, and so on.
Even low-level players could gain full experience from killing monsters on higher floors, but high-level players got no experience from killing monsters on lower floors.
I heard even the highest-ranked Summoners were active in the 40s. The 50th floor...
“I was thinking of going a bit further down, but it seemed like it would be dangerous. Want to go down?”
“No! What do you mean, further down? I'm level 1!”
“What's a level? Anyway, for your current state, this is the best place.”
I couldn't get through to him.
Besides, how did we get here from the 1st floor?
When I asked, he just vaguely said it was his ability.
He completely ignored my demand to be sent back to the 1st floor.
This was a Mythic-grade companion?
I considered unsummoning him and calling another companion, but I quickly dismissed the thought.
Heroic-grade companions were skilled, but there's no guarantee they could survive here.
“Hey, Bio, can we please go back? This is my first time in the labyrinth, so I'd like to take it slow…”
“What are you so scared of?”
Who wouldn't be scared if they were thrown into the 50th floor on their first visit to the labyrinth?
“But...”
“Stop whining. I brought you to a place that perfectly matches your level, so while it won't be easy, you won't be in any real danger. Since we're here, shouldn't you at least try to kill one?”
He said he'd help if things got dangerous, but he firmly stated that going back was not an option.
Having no other choice, I took out Kalisina's Fang from my inventory.
Holding the dagger, which gleamed with a faint golden light, I felt a little calmer.
The description didn't mention anything like that, but it was a legendary weapon, after all.
“That's a pretty decent-looking weapon.”
Decent?
Ah, is it because he's Mythic-grade?
“Daggers aren't very good for beginners. Excuse me for a moment.”
As he spoke, he snatched the dagger from my hand. Huh?
The dagger glowed with a yellow light and began to lengthen.
“This should do.”
He handed it back to me, and I took it.
[Kalisina's Fang (Legendary)
A dagger made from the fang of the vile demon dragon Kalisina, who drove the world to the brink of ruin. It has been transformed into a longsword by an unknown power.
Attack Power 114, All Stats +15%, Agility +150, Damage Increase 250%, Indestructible.
Special Abilities
55% chance to inflict Bleed on target.
25% chance to inflict Paralysis on target.
15% chance to activate the Demon Dragon's Curse on target.
(Demon Dragon's Curse: Reduces all of the target's stats by 25% and sets their defense to 0. Duration: 30 seconds.)]
For a moment, I couldn't believe my eyes.
Not only had it changed into a longsword, but its stats had also been enhanced.
What in the world was this guy?
At first, I thought he was a total troll, but he was turning out to be a massive boon.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How did you do that...?”
“It was nothing. More importantly, your weapon is ready, so it's time for some real combat, right?”
He grinned with a mischievous expression and suddenly vanished.
“B-Bio? Stop joking around. Where did you go, leaving me alone?”
There was no reply. I stood there, unsure what to do, when about thirty seconds later, I heard the sound of frantic footsteps up ahead.
Just as I thought something was coming, a voice echoed in my head.
—I kept my promise and lured one over, so do your best. Oh! And as a bonus, I'll light the way for you.
Along with the voice in my head, a white orb appeared, allowing me to see the source of the footsteps.
A blond giant, easily over two meters tall.
His sideburns reached his chin, and his arms were covered in fluffy golden fur. His face was pale as if he were being chased by something.
I had braced myself, assuming it was a monster, so I was surprised to see a person.
“Hey, run! There's some kind of monster—a human?”
Human?
He said it as if he wasn't one himself...
Wait a minute. I received the achievement for being the first to reach the 50th floor.
The top Summoners were said to be clearing the 40s, so there shouldn't be anyone else here...
“So you're the one who summoned that monster!”
As he spoke, the man's form began to change.
His clothes tore as he grew to nearly three meters tall, his body bulking up to one and a half times its size, and golden fur covered his entire body.
His face elongated into the distinct visage of a wolf.
“I'll kill you, human!”
He charged at me, raising claws that were almost as long as my arm, but he wasn't that fast... was he?
No, he definitely seemed fast, but for some reason, I could see his trajectory and movements clearly.
Of course, seeing it and being able to dodge it are two different things, but I quickly raised my sword to block his claws.
*Slice— Thud—*
With a sensation like cutting through tofu, his claws, followed by his arm, fell to the floor.
“Gyaaaargh!”
He let out a sharp scream, glaring at me as if he wanted to devour me.
His eyes were turning redder, a sign of his growing rage. I was really just trying to block, but it felt like he ran into the blade himself.
—*Ahem*, that sword is a bit too good.
Just as I was thinking, *so this is a legendary weapon*, the creature's eyes turned completely red.
His golden fur seemed to become more vibrant, and my whole body tingled.
*Whoosh—*
Sensing him charge again, I hastily dodged, but felt a sting on my left cheek.
I instinctively touched it and my hand came away with red blood.
—*Tsk, tsk*, you should finish it quickly. You let it go into berserker mode, didn't you?