Floor 9 — Hounds of the Labyrinth (2)
"Aaagh!"
"Kyaaah…?"
But the thing we'd worried about turned out to be nothing — we didn't collide with the orc horde at all. The orcs passed straight through our bodies as if they were ghosts.
Right, of course we couldn't collide. That made no sense.
I'd only panicked because it happened so suddenly.
…Now, where did I leave off in my count?
Left, right, left, right…?
Damn it. Those orcs broke the thread of my memory.
The labyrinth was moving faster now, and with it, forks in the road kept springing up endlessly. I tried to memorize the paths we'd already taken, but my brain couldn't keep up.
Ugh…
I gave up. Watching the way we'd come twisting back on itself, I figured even the effort wouldn't have helped anyway.
Even as I thought this, more junctions kept appearing. How many forks had we passed? Twenty? Thirty?
Every now and then, nameless monsters other than the orcs would pop up out of nowhere.
Huh, that's an interesting-looking one. A minotaur, I think.
Then, after about a minute had passed, the labyrinth's movement finally ground to a halt.
A dead-end wall stood before us.
From here, we'd have to turn back and search for the exit.
The moment I tried to turn, a wave of dizziness washed over me. Everything around us had been whipping past so fast, it seemed my head hadn't quite caught up.
"Huurk! Blegh!"
"Harin! Are you okay?"
"Ugh… I feel like I'm gonna throw up…"
Apparently I wasn't the only one — Seo Harin kept dry-heaving. Was she just prone to motion sickness?
Harin's father hurried over and rubbed her back in gentle circles.
The two had always been close, but ever since what happened on the 7th floor, the bond between father and daughter seemed to have deepened even further. They expressed their affection more openly now, if that was the right way to put it.
The heartwarming scene coaxed a smile out of me without my even trying.
Under her father's soothing touch, Harin calmed down before long.
It was time to move.
Eight hours on the clock. We had to escape the labyrinth.
I'd lost count of how many forks we'd passed, so every second mattered.
"Now that Harin's feeling better, let's get moving."
Eight hours might sound generous, but the problem was we had no idea where the exit was. One wrong turn, and we could end up trapped in the labyrinth for good.
"We need to get out before the time limit runs out. I'll pick up the pace a little."
"Wait a moment! Suhyeok-ssi, I don't think that's necessary."
"Excuse me?"
Colle threw down the gauntlet out of nowhere. I turned to him with a less-than-pleased expression.
Why this, all of a sudden? Not necessary?
Maybe he'd read my face, because Colle flashed a confident grin.
Being an actor's son, it was actually a rather handsome smile.
Well, sure, but you've got to tell me why before you just smile at me.
"Actually, I have an excellent memory. You could say I remember nearly everything I see, perfectly. I have the route to the exit memorized, down to the last detail."
"Oh… I see."
"There's no need to rush. Since we don't know what kind of enemies might appear, why don't we move while conserving our strength?"
"Oho! Colle! Your memory's that good? A fine archer, a great memory — you're a first-rate pathfinder! Haha! I chose my party members well."
Harin's father beamed at Colle's words and let out a hearty laugh.
Oh, so that's it. Yeah, Colle's not the type to object without good reason.
If what he said was true, there really was no need to hurry.
It's got to be true. He's talking that confidently, after all. I've never seen Colle act that sure of himself before.
Normally he just went along quietly with whatever I decided. He was a loyal party member through and through.
Trust Colle. That way, whatever time we have left converts into achievement points, so we can just move at a steady clip and—
Hold on.
If he knew the way perfectly, did we actually need to head straight for the exit?
Kasyatum's Labyrinth. Something about it just screamed hidden quests and hidden rooms.
"Colle, even if we take a different path at a fork, you'll still be able to remember the route to the exit, right?"
"Of course. But why do you…?"
"If we already know how to escape, there's no point in rushing. Wouldn't it be better to hunt around for hidden quests and hidden rooms instead?"
"Ah! You're absolutely right, that's far better. That's our party leader for you."
Of course, there was no guarantee we'd actually find a hidden room or hidden quest in the labyrinth. If we came up empty, we'd be kicking ourselves over the leftover time we failed to convert into achievement points.
But anyone in my shoes would have made the same call. Even accepting a small loss, it was more than worth the attempt.
"Then from this point on, our party's objective on Floor 9 will be finding hidden rooms and hidden quests."
"Yes, sir!"
"Heh heh, sounds good to me."
"Colle, you just keep the route in mind for us."
"Understood."
Besides, our party had the goblin saint Dobby, too.
I still remembered Dobby's hunch — the one that had led us straight to Karakshi's tomb.
"Dobby."
"Kkiik! Suyeok! Why you call?"
"Take point."
"Kkiik?"
Bewildered, Dobby shot me a blank look.
Then he started striding purposefully out ahead.
Um… I didn't literally mean for you to walk in front of us…
Of course, I couldn't be certain Dobby's hunch would prove accurate. It might point not to a hidden room or quest, but to the exit itself. Or maybe that one time had just been a fluke.
"Kkiik! We go left!"
"Colle, which way is the exit?"
"To the right."
At the very first fork, Dobby pointed in a direction away from the exit.
I couldn't be sure his hunch was pointing at a hidden room, but with his track record, I figured it was worth trusting at least once.
"Then let's go left for now. Colle, keep the route memorized."
"Yes."
"By the way, Colle — why do you keep glancing at me? Don't tell me it's… you know. That thing. The, uh…"
"Excuse me?"
Mid-conversation, Harin's father cut in abruptly. At his dubious expression, Colle visibly panicked.
Ah, right — Colle is gay.
"Ah, well, I mean, it's true that I'm gay, but—"
"Wh-what!?"
"What? Mr. Colle, seriously? You were really looking at my dad because you're interested in him?"
"No, that's not it—!"
Harin whipped around to stare at Colle, her face a picture of disbelief.
Her father was so startled he unconsciously took a step back.
Wait, Colle's actually into him?
Come on, no way. He's a taken man—
"No, I am gay, but the reason I kept looking at you, sir, is that ever since the 7th floor you've started resembling a tiger, and I found it fascinating."
Once the whole party's eyes turned stony, Colle fumbled through the explanation, his face burning with embarrassment.
Harin's father gave an awkward smile.
"Hmm… yeah? I mean, I was only teasing, but when you suddenly announce you're gay, it makes a man wonder. You gave me quite a scare."
"I have a partner back on Earth, too. Honestly, it's just that your tiger-like presence is so striking now."
"Mr. Colle, is that the truth?"
"It's the truth. I have someone I love back on Earth!"
You could tell how wronged he felt — Colle all but shouted it, his face on the verge of tears.
At his protest, Harin's father grinned sheepishly and patted Harin on the shoulder.
"Haha. Harin, your dad was just kidding. I wouldn't have said it if I really thought Colle was like that."
"It's because you said it, Dad! I was so shocked—"
"Aigoo, Colle. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you. My apologies."
"Haha, it's fine. Really, no harm done."
Harin's father dipped his head in a small bow.
With his apology written so plainly across his face, Colle waved his hands as if to say it was nothing.
"Honestly, I was so fascinated I couldn't keep my eyes still. I told you my memory's good, right? It's subtle, but you seem just a little more tiger-like than when I first saw you on the 7th floor."
"Mm, really? I can't say I've noticed."
"I can't pinpoint it myself, but that's the impression I get. I think I kept staring because I was trying to figure out what it was."
"Hm."
Harin's father examined his own arms and legs with a puzzled frown.
Huh. I can't tell what's changed about him, either…
Just then, Ha Heijeong, walking behind us, tapped my arm. When I turned, she gave a slight nod.
Seemed to mean: fun's over, let's move.
"Then let's get going. What happened just now was my fault for not knowing, but please be a bit more careful about things like that from now on. We're party members. Let's respect each other."
"You're right. Sorry, Colle. I didn't know, that's all. My bad."
"Haha, it's quite all right, sir. Suhyeok-ssi, shall we move?"
"Yes, let's continue."
Following Dobby's judgment, we passed two more forks after that.
Despite the small misunderstanding, the party's mood was bright. Harin's father latched onto Colle and asked all about his partner, while Colle grinned shyly and launched into one proud story after another.
Even though Colle had said he was fine, his father clearly still felt bad about it.
"Huh?"
The cozy atmosphere froze the moment we spotted a minotaur in the distance.
The monster stood in the middle of the path, staring straight at us.
The hulking beast was over three meters tall, and in its hands it carried a massive mace to match its frame. The muscles of its thighs and arms bulged to the point of bursting, and two horns that looked rock-solid jutted from its cow-like face.
The instant the party members saw the minotaur, they swiftly fell into battle positions.
Whoof. The sound of the man beside me letting out a long breath rang clearly in my ears.
"Hold on — I'll take this one alone."
"Huh?"
"I need to test out the axe."
I'd decided back on this floor to trial the double-bladed axe, and I figured a one-on-one fight would tell me far more than throwing myself into a melee against a crowd.
"First time seeing one of those things… You sure about this, Suhyeok?"
"Yeah, I don't think I'll lose. If it looks dangerous, feel free to jump in."
"Hm, all right. Anyone else, I'd have fought them tooth and nail to stop this, but you're you, Suhyeok. Just shout if it goes sideways. Got it?"
"Got it. Don't worry."
He looked at me with concern written all over his face, so I smiled back as calmly and evenly as I could manage to set him at ease.
There's really no need to worry this much…
I felt no trace of danger. I was stronger than that minotaur. I could state it as fact.
One step. I moved toward the minotaur.
Mace in my left hand, double-bladed axe in my right.
Technically, this thing looks like it was made for two hands…
Was that my fault — my strength? Wielding it one-handed posed no real difficulty. And if it stopped feeling right mid-fight, my plan was simply to toss the axe and fight with the mace instead.
"Grrrrr…"
Perhaps its eyesight was poor, because the minotaur reacted a beat too late.
It lifted the mace it had been dragging along the ground.
One step. The approaching minotaur snorted through its nostrils.
Another step. Its pace quickened, and I matched my speed to its stride.
"Graaaagh! Die!"
The distance between us collapsed fast.
As it shrank, I wound the tension into my muscles.
Drawing on the Essence of Lightning, I swung the axe up to meet the incoming mace.
CLANG! With a sharp shriek of metal, both weapons recoiled from the impact.
"Hup!"
I seized the opening and drove the mace down — but the beast snapped its legs back and dodged. My mace carved through empty air.
I swung the axe again to meet the mace hurtling back at me.
…Something's off.
Whether it was the axe itself, or holding the mace in my left hand — or maybe using both at once? Or perhaps just the unfamiliarity of fighting without a shield?
Well, I did set out to test the axe…
Into the next gap that opened, I snatched up the mace and hurled it. The beast couldn't react in time, and the mace buried itself deep in its abdomen.
The minotaur staggered back two full steps.
"Graaagh!"
It came charging again, and this time I gripped the axe in both hands and swung. Its mace rushed up hastily to intercept my blade's arc.
KRAANG! The minotaur's mace flew high out of its grip.
"Guh!"
Ah — this is it. This is the two-handed axe.
The instant the shock of the impact rang down to my fingertips, I understood.
Electric. An ecstatic thrill swept through my entire body.
It was so electrifying I couldn't tell whether it came from the lightning coursing through my flesh or from the axe itself.
The recoil of the blow flung the minotaur's chest wide open. I lunged straight for it.
Lightning scattered along the axe's edge as I brought it crashing down into the minotaur's chest.