Floor 9: Hounds of the Labyrinth (5)

The community of the dead.

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It had been roughly forty minutes since we'd gathered up our usable gear and set back out onto the maze's paths.

Three battles had come and gone, and none of them had posed much of a problem.

The problem was Dobby's instincts.

At a newly appeared fork in the corridor, Dobby couldn't settle on a direction.

"Kkiik! Dobby doesn't know!"

"Hmm… Dobby. Just pick whichever way feels right and go with it."

"Kkiik! This one! Doesn't feel right!"

We'd navigated the labyrinth this far on Dobby's judgment alone, so the rest of the party couldn't hide their own bewilderment either.

Damn it. Where did things go wrong?

"Cole, do you remember the route we've taken so far?"

"Yes, I remember it clearly. Shall we go back?"

"I'm debating it. Whether to just pick a direction here and press on, or turn around."

"Do you mean escaping the labyrinth, sir?"

"No, the last fork we passed. I'm wondering if that's where we went wrong."

What should we do? Should we fall back to the most recent fork? Yeah — better safe than sorry. Let's at least go that far. If Dobby still can't make up his mind there… we'll decide then.

"For now, let's fall back to the last fork. We'll decide there."

"Yes, I think that's our best option."

On the way back, reaching the previous fork didn't take long — about fifteen minutes. The problem was that Dobby arrived at the very same choice as before.

"Kkiik! Left!"

"Ahem. Dobby, left, you say? Uh, we just came from there, bud."

"Kkiik! Left feels right!"

The old man cleared his throat and gently chided him, but Dobby stood his ground, insisting stubbornly on the left-hand path.

…Wait. Could it be?

"What if it's something we failed to find?"

"Huh? Suhyeok, what's that supposed to mean?"

"The passages between one fork and the next. I think there may have been hidden rooms tucked into them that we never noticed."

"Oh — now that you mention it, I think you're right, Suhyeok. We were walking through without a second thought, weren't we."

He was right. Whenever no enemies showed themselves in view, we'd picked up the pace. The time limit existed, so we'd had to move as fast as we possibly could.

"We're going back through again. There could be something off about the walls, the floor, or the ceiling, so keep a close eye on your surroundings."

"Yes, sir!"

With Seo Harin's spirited reply, the party turned and began retracing their steps. It was the third time we'd walked this same stretch of corridor, but it was the first time any of us had walked it with real focus.

Stay sharp.

For about ten minutes, we crept down the passage slow and wide-eyed. Yet nothing in particular caught my attention.

Every brick forming the maze was identical in size. Staring at the same patterned brickwork over and over did little more than tire the eyes.

"Oh!"

It was right then that Cole let out a sudden gasp. The gazes of the party — our concentration fraying bit by bit — all swung toward him.

"This spot — doesn't it look a little strange to you?"

"Huh? It looks exactly the same to me…"

"Hmmm. Doesn't look off to me either?"

Cole's finger was pointed at a patch of floor I had just walked over. Just as Harin and the old man said, nothing about it seemed unusual.

Identical bricks, same as every other… Oh! It's a little smaller, isn't it?

The brick Cole indicated was ever so slightly undersized — so subtly that you'd never notice it unless you were scrutinizing that one spot.

"It looks a bit smaller, right?"

"Yes, there's a very slight gap compared to the others. It's only big enough to fit a fingernail, mind you."

"I don't think it's a pressure plate, though…"

"Right — Mr. Hosu already walked over it, and nothing happened."

Just to be sure, I pressed down on it hard with my foot, but nothing happened at all.

What is this, then? A brick somebody just messed up on? No — that can't be it. Every other brick didn't have so much as a fingernail's worth of gap. The Tower of Trials is never that sloppy.

"Shall we try pushing it?"

"Yes, pushing it seems like the right call, like you said… but is there anything we could fit into that gap?"

Hmm. My weapon was an axe, so that was out; Harin had a mace, and the old man a sword, but—— The moment our eyes met, the old man flinched and stumbled backward a step.

"Suhyeok, not my sword. Th-that, uh, you know. Arrows! Wouldn't an arrow work better?"

"Oh, come on. I wasn't going to. Cole, would you mind trying it with an arrow?"

"Yes, an arrow does seem like the better choice. I'll give it a try."

I quickly feigned innocence and turned my attention to Cole. The sword was one he'd obtained in a hidden room, so the old man's fierce attachment to it was hardly strange.

Cole wedged the tip of an arrow into the tiny gap. It was too narrow for the arrowhead to slide in fully, but he gripped the shaft hard and pushed it sideways.

"Oh?"

"Whoa!"

With a grinding screech of stone on stone, the brick began to slide sideways, bit by bit. The brick beside it, most likely, had been hollow all along.

Dobby's instincts really were never wrong. A living compass, our Dobby. He'd prove useful again and again down the road.

The old man, apparently thinking the same thing, reached over and patted Dobby on the head.

"Heheh. So your instincts weren't off after all, Dobby."

"Kkiik! Goblin! Very smart!"

"There we go. Well done, Dobby."

Beneath the space where the brick had slid away, an iron handle had appeared. It looked as though pulling that lever would reveal the hidden room.

"Suhyeok, shall I pull it now?"

"Yes, let's. Better to grab what's inside and get out quickly."

"Then I'll pull it."

The words were barely out of Cole's mouth before he yanked the lever with all his force. But it wouldn't budge easily — perhaps he lacked the strength for it. It seemed too stiff and rusted to give.

Hmm. Should I help…?

But Cole's face was turning beet red with the effort, and I couldn't quite bring myself to say it out loud.

"…Want a hand?"

"Hah! I've got it."

The old man, watching from the side, offered carefully, but Cole flatly refused him. He looked a little stung in his pride.

…Doesn't look like it's going to happen, though.

"Ahem! It seems Mr. Hosu or you will have to do it, Suhyeok."

Before long, Cole declared defeat. Whether from the sheer exertion or from embarrassment, I couldn't tell, but his face was bright red.

Well, knowing him, probably both.

"Mm, could be. It's all right, Cole. You're an archer, after all."

"Archers need strength too, you know……"

"Ahem. Well, then… Suhyeok, want to go first?"

When Cole trailed off, utterly deflated, the old man pretended not to notice and casually passed the turn along to me.

…Uh, is he only doing this because he's worried he can't manage it either?

"Sure, I'll do it."

Despite my thoughts, I nodded along readily. I was tempted to make the old man go first, but I held my tongue. Right — Harin was watching, and the old man deserved to keep a little of his dignity.

So I set down my axe and stepped up to the lever. Cole hadn't been able to move it at full strength, so it had to be awfully stiff……

I took the lever in both hands and pulled hard.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Clank! The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lever slammed all the way over in an instant. It had moved so much more easily than expected that I was the one caught off guard.

"…Suhyeok, forgive me for asking, but what exactly is your Strength?"

"Ah, hahaha. Nothing that impressive, really."

Cole stared at me, dumbfounded. He was so startled that curiosity about my stats seemed to have eclipsed any embarrassment he might have felt.

If I tell him the truth, this gets complicated……

There was no denying it — my stats were abnormal. Maybe it was because I'd refused the status window and taken on the brutal tutorial instead, but my numbers towered over everyone else's, and the rate at which they grew was absurd in its own right.

If I gave him the exact figures, he was bound to wonder how any of it was possible.

Too much of a hassle to explain, anyway.

Hmph. If I'd known, I'd have at least pretended to strain harder……

Fortunately, Cole pressed no further. Instead, a moment later, the labyrinth floor began to move.

Kugu-gung— The grind of shifting stone was heavy and deep.

"Old man! Something's coming up!"

"Whoa there!"

The bricks where the old man had been standing vanished, revealing a staircase leading underground. A dry, parched wind was drifting up from below.

Hm. Underground, huh. Not quite what I expected. I figured the hidden room would be tucked into one of the side walls, not the floor.

Well, what does it matter? Either way, we have to go in.

"I'm heading down. Everyone stay alert."

The staircase wasn't all that long. In truth, it was only about one story deep. No sooner had we set foot in the dark underground chamber than the notification window refreshed.

Dogs' Resting Place, huh… Now that I think of it, something about this pitch-black underground is bothering me.

A second notification popped up right on its heels.

Clatter, clatter— From deep within the darkened corridor, the sound of a chain-link gate crashing down echoed through the underground. A beat later, the rough cries of beasts rolled out across the chamber.

"Woof! Woof-woof!"

"Heijeong!"

Before the word had even left my mouth, flame bloomed to life at the front of the party with a roar of heat. The burning fire pushed back the darkness, lighting the underground all the way into the distance.

"Ooooh……"

"Eeek!"

From the far end of the passage, dozens — no, more than a hundred — black hounds came charging toward us. The sheer, overwhelming tide of them left the party momentarily stunned.

Let's see — some species I've never seen on Earth, I'd say. If anything, they look closer to wolves than dogs.

Damn it. Now's not the time.

"Battle stations! Fall back to the stairs and hold formation! I'll fight up front."

Individually, the beasts didn't seem like much of a threat — but their numbers were simply overwhelming. No matter how wildly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I rampaged, plenty of them would slip past toward the rear. The one mercy, if you could call it that, was that we'd be fighting with the stairs at our backs. The old man and Cole would hold the line well. Harin would do her part too.

And worst comes to worst, we've got Heijeong.

My goal was simple: rampage as far forward as I could. Draw every hound's gaze onto myself and thin out the ones trying to slip past toward the back.

"Don't let your guard down!"

The words were barely out of my mouth before I kicked off the ground and charged. As lightning coiled around my body, the darkness around me seemed to lift another shade brighter. In that brightened view, I could see the red glow of the hounds' eyes as they came sprinting in, foam on their jaws.

Crazed eyes, like the whole pack has gone mad — but going mad doesn't actually make them stronger.

And once these things are dead, a door that takes the golden key will probably open up, won't it?

Lightning wreathing me from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head to toe, I swung my axe.