Chapter 143: At a Glance, This Side Is...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: At a Glance, This Side Is...
Rewinding several months.
In truth, Theodora was Renart’s favorite.
It was subtle—so subtle, in fact, that it almost looked like she was being singled out for mistreatment.
“Do you understand?”
“...I get it.”
The values held by her mother, Renart Lymain, were quite different from those of other beastkin. Of course, as someone who sat in a position of authority over many, it was only natural that she wouldn't share the same thoughts as the common folk.
“She’s only like this with me...”
Theodora had an older brother and an older sister. Currently, they each held positions in Wispales, a city with a Great Labyrinth, and Wikon, a city that had grown large due to its geographical utility despite not being a Labyrinth City. They were both working for the Lymain family.
Both were married. The eldest son, Licht Lymain, and the eldest daughter, Temir Abreya, had established social standing and had married into prestigious families that offered political advantages.
Licht kept the Lymain name and was preparing to carry on the direct bloodline, while Temir had been registered into the Abreya family, a renowned martial house.
However, for some reason, Renart Lymain viewed Theodora as a child who couldn't follow that path. Perhaps it was because she was the adorable youngest daughter who took after her so perfectly.
In the faces of her eldest son and daughter, Renart could see glimpses of her ex-husband, who was now a stranger to her. But Theodora reminded Renart of her own younger self—both in appearance and personality.
“There is no need for me to arrange anything. Go out and find your own partner. And don’t settle for the first one you find; meet as many as it takes.”
“Mom, is that any way to talk to your daughter?”
“Has your mother ever spoken falsely? What is so strange about telling you not to decide on a life partner lightly?”
“Telling me to meet a lot of men is a bit...”
“I am not necessarily telling you to meet many. I am saying you should ruthlessly discard any man who does not meet your standards.”
This was a reference to the father Theodora had rarely seen growing up. It had been a political marriage for the benefit of the family. While he had been capable enough as a spouse and a partner in the family business, their personalities couldn't have been more different.
“You never said things like that to Brother or Sister.”
Renart wasn't telling her to just meet anyone. If anything, this favoritism toward Theodora made the prospect of her marriage even more troublesome.
While Theodora was frequently used as vague bait in business deals, a marriage had never actually been finalized.
When her older siblings reached marriageable age, Renart had arranged partners from good families, and as soon as a decent match was found and the time was right, she married them off immediately.
‘So why is she telling me to go out and find a man myself?’
Ultimately, this became the catalyst for Theodora to work for the Golden Glove Syndicate while simultaneously entering the Labyrinth to build her own reputation.
From Renart’s perspective, it was favoritism: ‘You don’t need a loveless political marriage. Go find a partner you truly love.’ But to everyone else, including Theodora, it was interpreted as: ‘Find your own husband. I’m not introducing you to any good families.’
It was a classic case of a breakdown in communication caused by Renart’s habitually blunt way of expressing herself.
And so, even now.
“Think a bit more about marriage with Aven.”
“What?!”
Renart meant, ‘Don’t judge too hastily, as you might find a man you like even more,’ but to Theodora’s ears, it sounded like, ‘Don’t marry Aven.’
Theodora hoped that if she proved Yoo Eon’s value, her mother’s mind might change. Driven by impatience, she had prepared a slightly misguided stage to demonstrate his worth.
“What do you mean by that...?”
“T-They’re not that strong! They’re just the 2nd and 3rd Stratum bosses from other Labyrinth Cities. Since they aren't from a Great Labyrinth, they shouldn't be too difficult...”
Theodora had brought the Red Ogre Warchief, the 20th-floor boss of the 38-floor labyrinth in the city of Masca, and the Haunted Centurion Armor, the 30th-floor boss of the 42-floor labyrinth in the city of Menetret.
Both were mid-sized Labyrinth Cities located north of Roanmarie. The Golden Glove Syndicate had been tasked with transporting them to Pariorit, a giant city south of Roanmarie, using Roanmarie as a transit point.
Of course, Theodora hadn't just suddenly hijacked them to throw them into the Arena. Recalling how Yoo Eon had previously swallowed and then regurgitated the Wild Boar carcass, a brilliant idea had struck her.
‘If Aven eats them and then uses a Gateway, won’t transportation be way easier?’
Her plan was for Yoo Eon to use his skill to "eat" the boss entities, store them, and then head to Pariorit.
“Wait, Dora. Does that mean those guys are dead right now?”
“Of course they’re alive.”
Unfortunately, Yoo Eon’s skill hadn't yet reached the miraculous level of perfectly resurrecting a monster that had been butchered and killed. It might be possible, but it was still uncharted territory.
“It’s fine. They were scheduled to die on the way to Pariorit anyway.”
“Why?”
The Red Ogre Warchief and the Haunted Centurion Armor were being sent to Pariorit for research purposes. The contract didn't specify delivering live specimens, but rather ‘maintaining maximum freshness.’
To achieve this, the chosen method was to keep them alive as long as possible while transporting them from the distant cities of Masca and Menetret.
Naturally, it would be best to keep them alive until the very end, but the cost of the powerful binding magic required to restrain a living boss entity was astronomical. Maintaining that magic for the entire journey from those two cities through Roanmarie to Pariorit would leave no room for profit.
The plan was to release the binding magic at the one-third mark—Roanmarie. There, with the help of the Scavus Clan, who maintained a good relationship with the Golden Glove Syndicate, they would kill the monsters and then move them to Pariorit via high-quality express carriages.
“Wait, isn't there something like anti-decomposition magic?”
“What...? Do you have any idea how expensive that magic is?!”
Yoo Eon thought to himself, ‘Iris uses it all the time,’ but Iris was a twisted ancient demi-human who had lived for 500 years. She had mountains of magic crystals to fuel her spells and was a formidable mage in her own right.
In short, this was a "kill two birds with one stone" operation devised by Theodora, whose sharp mind had lost its brakes due to her impatience.
Unfortunately, Yoo Eon was the one who had to provide both the birds and the stones.
* * *
“What were you two discussing for so long?”
“Ahaha, it was nothing. I just lost my soul while staring at your back, Mother. I had to go back the way we came to retrieve the soul I dropped.”
“Hmph... You’ve certainly grown bold with your flattery.”
“Aven, do you like Mom more than me?”
“No way... Ah, um...”
He was about to instinctively answer "No way," but his mother-in-law’s fierce gaze pierced through the space between his eyebrows. He hadn't even stepped onto the Arena stage yet, but he already felt like he was surrounded by two Stratum bosses.
“With my wayward eyes, I cannot possibly rank the beauty of you two.”
“Ha! I guess the Academy Aven attended teaches things like that too.”
“My, it seems he’s had some practical field training.”
Oops, was that the wrong answer? The sharp voices of Theodora and her mother pierced through both his ears and embedded themselves in his brain.
Whish, whish, whish—
‘Two tail-fans.’
It seemed it was the right answer after all.
* * *
The Red Ogre Warchief was a massive humanoid monster standing four meters tall. As its name suggested, its reddish skin was engraved with patterns of magical significance, and it possessed enough raw strength to turn a human into mincemeat even without a weapon.
The Haunted Centurion Armor was, simply put, living mail. It was classified as a necro-type monster like a wraith or poltergeist—a spiritual entity powered by a mana core located inside its chest plate.
Though relatively small for a boss entity at 2.2 meters tall, it unfortunately possessed a well-honed greatsword and high-level swordsmanship.
One represented strength, the other technique... well, they weren't exactly the pinnacle of those traits, but they served as good examples. Being mere 2nd and 3rd Stratum nobodies, they couldn't really claim to represent much.
Once, they had reigned supreme as monsters representing their respective labyrinth strata, but now they were restrained by powerful binding magic and sedatives in a cage-like gondola beneath the Roanmarie Arena.
Normally, if you put two different boss entities in the same space, they would undoubtedly tear each other apart. Even if they weren't bosses, monsters typically lived to kill anything that wasn't of their own kind.
Since some monsters even kill their own kind, it wasn't surprising that two bosses would fight.
To prevent this, the Arena had put in a lot of effort over a long period, specifically using mana to imprint a ‘target.’
As the effects of the sedatives began to wear off, they would spray the monsters with a specific mana residue and inflict a small amount of pain. Then, as the residue dissipated and the pain faded, they would re-administer the sedatives.
By doing this, they could create an illusion where the monsters felt hostility whenever they smelled that specific mana scent and felt a sense of relief when it disappeared.
Since monsters were diverse—some were blind, others couldn't smell—this method of using relatively expensive mana was adopted. Almost no Stratum boss was incapable of sensing mana.
Finally, the preparation was completed by spraying the participant with a mana perfume that emitted the exact same scent as that mana residue.
And so, at last, the gondola holding the Red Ogre Warchief and the Haunted Centurion Armor was pulled by a powerful force toward the surface where the Arena stage awaited.
Creeeeeak!!
Thick, heavy chains slid over pulleys, transporting the two massive forms to the surface. As the restraints were released, the two boss entities stepped forward.
From ahead, the loathsome scent of that mana began to drift toward them. Having been trapped in the dark underground, even the light leaking through the front iron bars was a welcome sight—though perhaps not for the Haunted Centurion Armor, who naturally lived in dark, cramped spaces.
Thump!!
BAM!!!
The Red Ogre Warchief slammed against the rare-metal bars engraved with powerful magic as if to break them, while the Haunted Centurion Armor gripped its greatsword with both hands and approached the bars where the hateful mana scent was seeping through.
—#!$&&^&!#!#^^&
—!#%%^^%*!#!#!#$%$#!!
The noisy voices of humans could be heard from outside, but there was no way the two agitated boss entities could process those sounds properly.
Creeeeeak...
Finally, the iron bars opened, and the two bosses emerged.
[There are two!! Two Stratum bosses!! An unprecedented event for the Roanmarie Arena—!!!]
The announcer introduced the history of the boss entities with a booming voice, accompanied by the wild cheers of the audience.
[And who is the one appearing to face them—!!!]
The mana residue flowing onto the stage grew thicker. The two boss entities, who had been looking at each other with a confused sense of ‘This isn't the guy,’ quickly turned their heads.
[Powerful armor! Magnificent wings...!]
The announcer’s introduction continued, filled with hyperbole.
And then, something finally revealed itself.
The dark, near-pitch-black armor covering its entire body was the hardened exoskeleton of Queen Arachne.
The beautiful wings with obsidian feathers belonged to a gargoyle.
Beneath a helm split by a cross-shaped slit, over a dozen eyes sparkled simultaneously, each originating from a different source.
In its chest sat a human heart.
Beside it was another: the Dragon Heart of Tenebrax, an elite entity appearing after the 65th floor of Hechituk.
And yet another: the mana core of Queen Arachne, the 50th-floor boss of the Roanmarie Labyrinth.
A long, trailing dragon’s tail emitted an ominous aura.
On its head were horns like those of a deer, currently engulfed in a startling blaze of deep violet flames.
In its right hand, it held a massive greatsword; in its left, a colossal shield.
With every flap of its wings, a violet mist—the personification of death—poured onto the ground.
[From the Labyrinth City of Calax—]
At a glance, it was obvious which side was the real boss that needed to be taken down.
[It’s the Flesh Golem—!!!!]