Chapter 22: E-Rank Labyrinth – Grave of the Earth Elf (3)
Chapter 22: E-Rank Labyrinth – Grave of the Earth Elf (3)
“Grave robbers, were you….”
Ermentaz, the Earth Elf from the distant past, clicked his tongue with a tired expression and waved his hand dismissively.
“Be gone. I have no treasures to hand over to the likes of you.”
“Please don’t be like that. At least cooperate once after seeing my deadly smile and charm.”
I raised a finger and poked one cheek.
I also tilted my head slightly.
“What kind of nonsense is that—wait.”
The elf, who had been shaking his head in disbelief, suddenly stared closely at my eyes before letting out a loud snort.
“You… you’re a half-blood elf, aren’t you?”
“That’s correct.”
“How dare a mongrel like you address me? Where is your master?”
I remained calm, but Marlin, who had been listening beside me, was startled and whispered hurriedly.
“What era does he think this is? How can he say something so discriminatory? That’s terrible! Kar, should I go scold him?”
Ripple.
Rosalia, who had been hiding in the shadows, also revealed only her face and stared at me.
Her gaze clearly meant, Shall I deal with him?
“Marlin, calm down. There’s no need to react so sensitively. You too, Sister.”
“But how can I stay calm when he’s insulting you for being a half-elf?”
“Did you forget? This labyrinth is set in a distant era when Evil Gods still held tremendous power. In the time when that gentleman truly lived, half-elves were classified as ‘property’—beings even lower than slaves.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Marlin lower the dagger she had been gripping in anger.
“The world has certainly improved, hasn’t it? A half-elf can now walk proudly on two legs.”
“If you’re going to joke, at least smile while doing it….”
Marlin forced an awkward smile and scratched her head with her nails before whispering again.
“So what will you do? He won’t even acknowledge you because you’re a half-elf.”
Protesting to someone from an era where discrimination was considered natural would only bring confused reactions.
At times like this, a more rational method of communication than conversation had to be used.
“Sister!”
“……”
Rosalia, who had vanished for a moment, suddenly appeared behind Ermentaz and immediately locked her arm around his neck.
A sleeper hold executed with perfect form.
“Urgh….”
When the Earth Elf from the distant past twisted his body to resist, a crimson flower bloomed from Rosalia’s hand and scattered pollen into the air.
It was a sight that forced a small gasp from me.
I was finally seeing it in person!
《Fifth-Tier Mystery (Growth Type) – Fresh Companion》
《An innate Mystery granted to Woodland Elves. A plant possessing special abilities grows within their body. In the case of the assassin Rosalia, it manifests as the “Crimson Death Rose,” which releases pollen containing various toxins.》
Elves were born with a single Mystery known as a “Heavenly Gift,” determined by their lineage.
They were all outrageously powerful skills—so powerful that malicious elf players once mass-produced elf characters indiscriminately.
“Y-you lunatics….”
Earth Elves also possessed formidable innate Mysteries, but once caught by a skilled assassin, there was no way to escape.
Just before Ermentaz lost consciousness, I stopped Rosalia and walked forward leisurely.
“Lord Ermentaz.”
I bent down and met the gaze of the elf whose eyes were half unfocused, politely repeating my request.
“I will not say it twice. We wish to take the treasures hidden within this temple. Please cooperate.”
“……”
Perhaps my sincere feelings that transcended time had been conveyed, because Ermentaz slowly nodded.
“A-alright.”
“Thank you. As expected of the noble Earth Elves, who are more honorable than any other race.”
Next, I took a flask prepared outside the labyrinth from Marlin’s leather bag and handed it to him.
“It may not be much as a token of gratitude, but please try it.”
“I do not drink food given by mongrels… ah, no. I will gratefully drink it.”
After opening the lid and sniffing the contents, the elf took a sip. His eyes widened.
“Do you like it?”
“…It’s not bad.”
It seemed that Abel’s special tea appealed even to the taste of elves from the past.
After sipping the tea for quite some time, Ermentaz’s expression gradually softened.
“If you had offered this from the beginning while making your request, we would not have had to redden our faces like this.”
“Surely not. You would never have accepted something offered by a mongrel.”
“…That is also true.”
Threatening his life had merely been a preliminary step to align our perspectives.
With other races, conversation could proceed smoothly without such measures, but half-elves had to go through this troublesome process.
What a charming and peculiar race, truly.
“As you likely already know, this place was a temple built to protect the sacred land of us Earth Elves. Now it has been twisted like this after being swallowed by the filthy power of the sky.”
Crackle.
The owner of the power that shimmered throughout this labyrinth sent a pleased emotion through my tattoo.
“You said you wanted treasure?”
Ermentaz pointed toward the stone slabs laid out to the left.
“Then arrange those stone slabs in the correct order and attach them to the wall. If you find the correct answer, you will obtain the treasure sleeping in the depths of this temple.”
When I signaled with my eyes, Marlin nodded and began examining the slabs one by one as she assembled the puzzle.
With a Sensory stat of 19, it would not take long.
“It’s done!”
As expected, the puzzle quickly took shape while I waited.
It depicted a mural where elves threatened by a black eagle with its wings spread wide ran to a large glowing deer, kneeling and praying.
“…Fast. That is correct.”
Ermentaz nodded.
“Now go to the depths. If you want to obtain the treasure, you must overcome a trial, so you would do well to prepare yourselves.”
If all the slabs were placed correctly here and one reached the fourth underground floor, one would encounter an enhanced boss specimen.
Defeating it would yield numerous hidden rewards.
…This was the primary activation method of the Hidden Piece that the Harmony Church had revealed to the world through investigation and verification.
Even following only this process produced respectable rewards.
But a true explorer pursued richer and more valuable results without ever being satisfied.
“I have one question. What exactly happened here?”
At my question, Ermentaz slowly lifted his head and stared into empty space.
“…We were executed by elite druids as the price for worshipping the Evil God Sue’je.”
“Why did you serve an Evil God when you were elves?”
“You are hardly in a position to ask that.”
“I am merely a lowly mongrel, after all. But noble pure elves should not behave that way.”
“…Hmm. I have no response.”
The Earth Elf gave a weak smile and turned his gaze toward the mural puzzle.
“If you wish to know the reason, open it yourself. The door that leads to the hidden truth.”
Without hesitation, I approached the wall and rearranged the puzzle again.
There was no need for tedious work.
Simply switching the positions of the first and last slabs was enough.
“Kar, this is….”
Marlin narrowed her eyes as she observed the newly arranged mural.
“Elves threatened by the deer went to the eagle instead? Is that the correct interpretation?”
“Lord Ermentaz, is she right?”
Instead of answering, the Earth Elf only smiled bitterly.
It was a smile carrying more meaning than a hundred words.
“Now that the truth has been revealed, you will face the worst trial.”
“That is exactly what I wanted.”
“Good luck.”
Ermentaz laughed quietly before adding suddenly,
“Still, this is unusual. Guests willingly walking into the pit of hardship are appearing one after another.”
“…Are you saying another expedition attempted this besides us?”
“That one was alone, not a group. That brat caused quite a bit of trouble.”
The Grave of the Earth Elf labyrinth reset every three days.
So that meant an explorer had recently visited and triggered the Hidden Piece completely.
Who was it?
The problem was that I had no idea who it could be.
Something like this had never happened before.
But the feeling wasn’t confusion.
It was excitement.
New content!
“We’ll be going now.”
“Wait.”
Just as I turned to leave, Ermentaz called out to me.
“You’re a cultist who serves Sue’je, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. The illustrious one seems to be quite fond of me.”
“……”
The ghost of the past trapped in the labyrinth stared at me silently before narrowing his eyes.
“In this labyrinth, do not use Black Lightning Bloom recklessly. Sue’je’s power fills every corner here. If you are careless, your body may mutate entirely into lightning.”
I nearly burst into laughter.
His intentions were far too obvious.
“Thank you for worrying about the safety of a mongrel like me. Until we meet again.”
Leaving Ermentaz behind, I exited the hidden chamber.
Marlin hurried after me and poked my side with her finger.
“What is it?”
“What did he mean earlier? The worst trial…?”
“It’s nothing special. I just activated the Hidden Piece that increases the boss specimen’s power to the maximum.”
Marlin blinked blankly before poking both of her hands into my waist repeatedly.
“That hurts because of your nails. Stop.”
“No… why would you deliberately make the strategy harder?!”
“Because it gives incredible rewards. If we finish the exploration safely, I was even planning to give you monthly allowance money. Don’t you want that?”
“…I didn’t say I didn’t want it. I’m just worried.”
“Just trust me again this time.”
It would be a bit troublesome, but that was precisely why it was good.
The creator of Nightmare Dungeon was a sadist who enjoyed watching people suffer, but at least one principle of labyrinth design was strictly upheld.
Hardship always came with appropriate rewards.
“But why is that elf living inside that wall? He didn’t seem insane like the other cultists….”
“Who knows. Maybe he enjoys living in confinement.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Think about that later. For now, take out your dagger and wait.”
There was one final item to collect before heading to the depths.
When I entered the same password as before using the numbers carved on the opposite wall from where Ermentaz had been, the floor opened and a treasure chest rose upward.
— Grrr!
The ordinary-looking treasure chest suddenly opened its mouth and growled, revealing sharp teeth.
《Lesser Mimic (Level 1)》
《A monster disguised as a treasure chest. If you kill it and check inside, it may contain remarkable treasure.》
I walked up and extended my hand.
— Grrr!
Unable to suppress its aggression, the monster immediately bit my arm—and soon paid the price for its impatience.
— Ggh….
After the poison was injected, the mimic struggled weakly for a while before finally going still, its tongue hanging out.
I pried open the limp mimic’s mouth and had Marlin shove her arm deep inside.
“Ugh, it’s squishy….”
“Just endure it a little longer. We only get one chance.”
“It’s really spacious inside. I’m grabbing all sorts of things soaked in saliva. What should I take out?”
“Find something like a book.”
After rummaging carefully for a moment, Marlin withdrew her arm.
In her hand was a dark crimson Mystery Tome.
Grrr…
As soon as her arm came out, the mimic melted away along with the chest, leaving behind only a small Magic Stone.
Still confused, my assistant picked up the Magic Stone and handed me the book.
“Here.”
“No. That one’s yours.”
《Second-Tier Mystery Tome (Thief) – Presence Concealment》
《Allows the user to erase their presence for a short period of time.》
Even a thief assigned to miscellaneous tasks should have at least one Mystery like this.
“Can I sell it?”
“Learn it first, then sell it.”
After securing the Mystery Tome, we left the resting area and resumed the exploration.
— Kuaaaah!
Once again, insane cultists rushed out from the darkness.
If the ones on the upper floors had merely been deranged, from here onward the Earth Elves appeared with grotesque black lightning tendrils clinging to their entire bodies.
《High Earth Elf Cultist (Level 2)》
《Once a high-ranking cultist who has fallen into a monster. Though not highly intelligent, it is a dangerous opponent. Exercise caution.》
Among monsters of the same level, they were fairly strong.
But that was not a problem.
“Sisteeer!”
Now that we had successfully leveled up, we could leave the rest to Rosalia.
“……”
The assassin rose from the shadows and silently killed every high-ranking cultist approaching us.
The ride on the bus was unbelievably comfortable.
“This is so easy…!”
“If you’re grateful, later run up to her shouting ‘Thank you, big sister!’ and hug her tightly.”
“I think she’d hate that.”
“That’s exactly why I said it.”
“……”
With our comfortable exploration continuing, we soon reached the staircase leading downward.
Descending into the depths with Rosalia in front, a vast open space spread before us.
Its structure was nearly identical to the upper floor.
Thick pillars stood along the walls, and at the very center stood a gigantic statue.
Unlike the upper floor where part of the torso had collapsed, this statue retained the beautiful appearance of an elf deity.
《A statue created by Earth Elves who worshipped the God of Nature Metherd. It is heavily imbued with impure energy.》
“Don’t tell me… that statue moves?”
“Your intuition is excellent.”
Rumble.
After we took a few more steps forward, the statue began to activate.
I smacked Marlin on the back as she stared blankly at the statue and gave her a warning.
“Be careful. It’s a monster far stronger than a Sneaking Ghoul.”