Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Motivation (2)
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What?
This is so baffling.
“What's wrong? This isn't funny.”
Are they playing a prank on me?
“No. I really don't remember.”
“Seriously... what did we do outside?”
“We drank cola, went to the lake park, and even went shopping.”
“We did?”
“What's cola?”
Looking at my companions' faces, they didn't seem to be lying.
It seems there's a system in place that makes them forget everything that happens outside.
If there was a restriction like this, they should have told me beforehand.
I want to go confront the Helper right now, but I can't access the Summoner's Shop from inside the labyrinth...
Something comes to mind.
The Companion Trait.
Maybe it's a side effect caused by the Companion Trait disappearing outside the labyrinth and then reappearing upon our return...
“Hyeon-ung?”
“Are you okay?”
“Uh... no.”
I'm so stunned I can't even say I'm okay.
“Mister? What's wrong?”
No matter how much fun we have, no matter how happy we are, if they can't remember any of it, is there any point in going outside...?
“...It just feels pointless. Like I've been scammed.”
“Hyeon-ung...”
“Kyuing!”
“Ppoyo! Ppoyo!”
Even Geum-yong and Nix came up and rubbed against me, as if trying to comfort me.
Though it didn't cheer me up at all.
No, I can't even face Geum-yong.
To think I so stupidly used the Orb of Wishes he worked so hard to bring me...
“Um, Hyeon-ung?”
“What is it, Elaine...?”
“Is it really such a big problem that we can't remember?”
I don't understand what she's saying.
“Elaine, you don't think it's a problem? Aren't you disappointed and frustrated?”
I thought my companions would be even more disappointed than me...
Is it because she's Elaine?
“I'm disappointed and upset too. But it's okay.”
“Timi?”
“Even if we can't remember, you do, Hyeon-ung.”
“What's the point if I'm the only one who remembers...”
”It's not pointless.“
This time, even Milli shouted, her voice louder than usual.
“You can just tell us about it, Hyeon-ung!”
“No, but...”
No matter how I describe it, is it the same as actually remembering...?
“It's a shame we don't have the memories, but you didn't know either, Hyeon-ung. Still, I'm sure we all had a fun and happy time with you, right?”
“That's right.”
“Then I'm satisfied.”
Was Milli always this well-spoken?
“Me too.”
“Me too. Please take us again next time.”
When I think about it, my companions should be the most disappointed, yet they're comforting me while I'm sulking by myself...
“Mister, why are you getting depressed over something like that? Even if I can't remember, I still want to go out and have fun with you.”
“It's the same for me. You're not going to stop taking us, are you?”
Even Rina and Hanna.
Even I have to admit, I'm being pathetic.
“Of course not. If you all want to.”
“Of course we want to. I'd be upset if you didn't ask. Alpen, you too, right?”
“Well, as long as Hyeon-ung invites me...”
“Tch, if you two weren't going, I was hoping to go again...”
“Wait your turn, you greedy vixen!”
Watching my companions bicker, all wanting to go outside regardless of whether they'd remember, I felt my gloomy mood lift a little.
“Thanks, everyone.”
“Nothing to thank us for. You used that precious Orb of Wishes for us, didn't you, Hyeon-ung?”
“That's right. It's not like we can't see you just because we lose a few memories.”
“So, what did we do outside? Did that vixen try to flirt with you?”
I slowly recounted the stories of what happened outside to my companions.
Since I used to be a WeTuber, I embellished the stories to make them more entertaining, and everyone's eyes sparkled.
My companions must have been more upset, but they didn't show it at all.
“Wow, cake! I really love cake. Maybe when it's our turn...”
“Of course. Let's go together when we get out this time.”
So Hanna likes cake.
“No, Mister, I want cola! I want to try cola too!”
“I bought a lot, so I'll let you drink as much as you want when we get out.”
“Hyeon-ung, is there anything like a zoo in Kramis?”
“Hmm, I don't think so, but should I look it up?”
“A zoo, of all things...”
I thought about it last night, but seeing my companions like this makes me even more determined.
Because if I can get a real Orb of Wishes, I'll be able to live happily with my companions without these restrictions.
“Alright, that's enough talk. Let's get moving.”
First, I met with the Harpy Queen and delivered the lord's letter and the video recording crystal.
“Thank you, as always. I don't know how I can ever repay you...”
“Don't worry about a reward.”
The lord already said he'd take care of it, and frankly, just the fact that she protected Tae-soo and Seol-hwa and warned me so I wouldn't lose my Boots of Enhancement is enough.
“But still...”
“It's no trouble. You'll be writing a reply this time too, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I'll come pick it up on the last day, just like last time.”
“Thank you. Truly... truly...”
I know I shouldn't think this way, but seeing the Harpy Queen bow repeatedly with tears welling in her eyes, I felt like we were in a much better situation.
At least we can stay together.
Even if they can't remember, we can still meet outside.
Of course, I have no intention of being satisfied with this.
For now, we left the Harpy Queen's nest.
“Hyeon-ung, what floor are we going to now?”
“To the 53rd floor, of course. You idiot.”
“No. We're not going to the 53rd floor.”
I don't want to waste any more time.
Considering my class trait, Miter's Aegis, climbing one floor at a time is the most cost-effective, but I'm giving up on efficiency.
“Then where are we going?”
“Just a moment.”
Of course, I'd already given up on the lower floors, but now it's the same for the higher ones.
“Bio Rein, master of the forgotten space.”
Bio appeared in a flash of purple light.
“It doesn't seem like a particularly dangerous situation. What is it?”
“Bio, can you send me to the highest floor I can currently reach?”
Bio tilted his head.
After all, until just recently, I was insisting on staying on the lower floors, prioritizing cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Because I've become serious about wanting to reach the 100th floor.”
“Hyeon-ung?”
“Will you be okay?”
“Of course. This wasn't a lighthearted decision.”
I already have more than enough money.
“But still, it could be dangerous if you suddenly go to a high floor...”
“I have you guys, don't I? And Bio will help too.”
I grinned at my companions.
When I first came to the labyrinth, I was dragged straight to the 50th floor.
I thought I was going to die, but I didn't.
Now that I'm used to the labyrinth, no matter what floor I go to, it won't be as dangerous as it was back then.
“Understood. If that is what you wish, I shall grant it.”
As he answered, Bio snapped his fingers.
A blue light enveloped me, and my vision changed.
It looked like a typical maze, vaguely similar to the 1st and 9th floors.
[You have achieved the feat of being the first to reach the 60th floor of the Kramis Labyrinth. All stats +5]
[Miter's Aegis has been activated.
You have visited a new place untouched by other summoners.
All stats +1. For one week, the drop rate for common items will decrease significantly, while the drop rate for rare and higher items will increase significantly.]
Seeing the notification window, it seemed I was on the 60th floor. I was a little disappointed.
I wondered if this was the limit of my current level, but thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.
“From the 50th floor onward, you cannot advance higher without defeating the floor boss located every 10 floors.”
When I asked if such a rule existed, he clammed up, saying he couldn't give me the details.
Who makes these kinds of rules?
The angels?
“Anyway, we just have to kill the floor boss, right?”
“Let's take it down quickly and move on.”
Can we take it down quickly?
The labyrinth's maps get much larger every 10 floors.
Ah, of course, that's not much of a problem for us.
“Bio, can you teleport us next to the boss like last time?”
“That would be difficult right now.”
“Difficult?”
“I used a lot of power for the teleportation. You'll have to wait about half a day.”
Half a day...
“Then should we start hunting for now?”
Hanna asked, drawing her sword.
“Wait... Bio, does that mean you know the floor boss's location?”
“That's right. It's quite far from here, and even if you know the direction, the path is such that it would take a long time on foot.”
It's definitely a maze, just like the 9th floor.
“If you point out the direction, we can just go in a straight line.”
“A straight line?”
“How?”
How? Like this.
I punched the wall right next to me.
CRASH—
With a loud bang, it shattered into... no, it was just slightly scratched but otherwise fine.
“Hyeon-ung, I don't think that's a good idea...”
“Um, Hyeon-ung, why don't we just hunt until Bio's power recovers?”
“How brutish.”
If my stats were just a little higher, I think I could break it... Ah!
“Everyone, wait a second.”
I quickly took off the shoes I was wearing and equipped the Boots of Enhancement from my inventory.
I'd forgotten I'd taken them off because of the emperor's special envoy.
“Those boots don't look ordinary...”
Before Bio could find fault, I quickly punched the wall again.
CRASH—
With a satisfying, heavy impact, the wall crumbled.
“See? It works.”
“...Who goes through a maze like this...?”
Bio shook his head, but I paid him no mind and smashed through another wall.
CRASH—
“If there's no path, we make one. Come on, everyone, let's go!”
I charged forward, relentlessly breaking through walls, but something felt off.
“What? Why isn't anyone following me?”
“Hyeon-ung, that's the wrong way.”
“Not that way.”
They could have told me sooner.
I retraced my steps and started smashing through walls again.
Along the way, Rina stepped up, saying she wanted to try, but even when she struck the wall with her mace, it remained completely unscathed.
“You're stronger than me, Mister.”
I'd be pretty upset if we were the same.
Think of all the money I've poured into these boots...
For nearly two hours, I silently forged a path in the direction Bio indicated.
As I broke through, bandaged mummy-type monsters appeared intermittently, but Hanna and the others quickly took care of them.
“We're about halfway there.”
“Hyeon-ung, aren't you tired?”
“You're not even... you're not even sweating?”
“I'm really not tired.”
Normally, I'd take a 30-minute break after hunting for two hours, but maybe because I have a goal now, I don't feel tired at all.
Just like that, I continued to advance, smashing through walls without a break.
About two hours later, as I was breaking a wall, Bio suddenly approached me.
“What is it?”
“I'll take it from here.”
I thought he was telling me to rest and was about to say I was fine, but Bio walked past me and placed his hand on the wall.
“Bio?”
“I wasn't sure this would work. You'd better cover your ears.”
Cover my ears?
The moment I did as he said and covered my ears, Bio's hand began to glow purple.
KRA-KOOOOM—
With a tremendous roar, the wall vanished.
Not just the wall Bio had touched, but the one in front of it, and the one in front of that...
[You have defeated a Giant Mummy.]
[You have defeated a Great Mummy King.]
[You have defeated a Banshee.]
...
[You have defeated a Great Mummy.]
It seemed all the monsters between the walls had also been annihilated in a single blow.
The path ahead was now pitch black. I was impressed, but also a little disappointed.
“If you could do this, you should have helped me sooner.”
“I didn't actually think you'd go all the way like this. Stop talking and run.”
Because the labyrinth's walls automatically repair themselves after being destroyed.
It would have been nice to use a mount, but unfortunately, the opening wasn't big enough, so we ran.
As expected of a large map, after Bio blasted through a couple more times, we arrived at our destination.
Unlike the narrow passages that could barely fit four people, this was a massive cavern.
Behind the mummies and banshees filling the cavern, a pyramid as large as several apartment buildings combined came into view.