Chapter 170
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: 16th Floor - Kingdom's Gate
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Exiles' partings and reunions always stem from necessity. That was the case with the Hunter and me.
But for those on their first run or not Exiles at all, farewells carry extra weight.
They aren't used to goodbyes like this.
The Hunter had been sorting his gear since earlier.
Our party's equipment was far beyond anything imaginable from the tutorial floors.
Yet, in true Labyrinth fashion, it didn't quite feel like the fantastical "items" from fantasy tales.
The Hunter's armor and weapons, carried through the Space Age, weren't swords or magical artifacts.
His utterly modern—or slightly near-future—possessions looked more like relics from another era.
He handed the firearms first to the little one and the young mage, the two with the least self-defense options.
The magical guns looted from the dwarf's safe could fetch a high price in the kingdom, even if unused.
He carefully counted and divided the bullets.
As the sub-leader who commanded the entire party in my absence, he also shared his first-aid supplies and tourniquets. All handmade.
Healing Potions are versatile but consumable. Preparing for what comes after is the mark of a wise Exile.
Of course, the floors we sent him to weren't that forgiving, but the Hunter seemed to think that way regardless.
Just in case.
The items spilling from this cautious, composed man's pockets were mostly contingencies for worst-case scenarios.
When packets of chocolate balls—the dessert bundled with Union combat rations—tumbled from one pocket, Hiu looked shocked.
"Those were emergency rations."
"You brought those?"
"Habit, I guess..."
"No wonder stuff kept popping up from somewhere in the Abyss..."
"I always carry them secretly."
If they were just for him, he wouldn't have pulled snacks out of thin air like that in the Abyss.
He always claimed he found them, but I knew they all came from his pockets.
Even knowing no more fights awaited, he'd instinctively prepared them during recovery on the 15th floor transport ship.
Pack as much as possible, considering bulk.
Veteran habit.
The Hunter smiled and offered them to Hiu.
She was the only one here who liked sweets.
Hiu shook her head.
"You have kids, right? Don't they like sweets?"
"They're not that young... but yeah, probably. I've been away too long. Didn't even think of it."
His comical fumbling to repack the chocolate balls made him look fully rid of his Exile edge.
Now, he was just a dazed father on the verge of reunion.
The Hunter always had the habit of squinting, scanning his surroundings. Bracing for disaster at any moment.
Now, even that tension eased from his eyes.
This ordinary man from California's got a hundred years in the Labyrinth, becoming an Exile.
And now, he was reverting to an ordinary person.
The sorting was done.
The party's reactions split starkly.
Hiu kept wiping tears.
The maknae wore a shadowed expression; the little one and the old man didn't hide their regret either.
The experienced me and the young mage were relatively calm, though not entirely masking our own reluctance.
In a way, it wasn't that long.
But we'd just survived situations where death—and parting—could strike anytime.
The past few months felt like decades in perceived time. Distant and profound.
The young mage's and my reluctance was tempered by experience, faded but real.
The Hunter knew that.
And found even our reactions amusing.
"The leader can make that face too, huh."
"You're the most capable sub-leader I've ever had. Thanks to you, I could step away worry-free."
"I didn't do much."
"There are too many who can't handle responsibility straight."
"Coming from a veteran like you, that's an honor."
"Don't call me veteran. Anyway, good work. And thanks."
"I'm the thankful one. What party pays retirement like this?"
He fiddled with his pointed ears, smiling again.
His stern impression might've stemmed from the burdens or sense of duty he carried.
Now, he looked downright soft.
Suddenly, the maknae started praying. The Hunter looked distinctly weirded out.
"Don't do that. Send me off nicely."
"Saying that makes it feel like you're really dying, bro."
"Isn't that how Exiles roll? We don't really die. We live on differently, somewhere."
The maknae knew that in his head but struggled to accept it in his heart.
"Knowing you're alive but never seeing you again might hurt more."
His family had all gone to good places, which made him unaccustomed to such farewells.
No need to part if you're not dying.
You stick together to survive.
This pure-hearted Hispanic, surprisingly innocent for his experience and build, truly found it unbearable.
"Not going to heaven, yet can't see you again. Tough stuff, bro."
"What's tough? I'll live well. You too. I'll never forget that shield of yours."
They'd paired up mostly: tank with shield upfront, shooter behind.
Trusting each other's lives closest, so the bond ran deep.
Even Hiu, from modern Korean society, wiped tears and offered blessings.
"Be happy always. Even if no one watches, I'll believe you're happy there."
"Yeah."
The Hunter hugged each one. Awkward with the young mage.
They weren't close. Short time together.
The old man hugged him fiercely.
"I'll honor you always. You're a warrior worthy of it."
"Didn't you thunderbolt me on floor 2?"
"Didn't know it'd end like this."
Then, a whisper reached me.
"Heard from the Goddess: your 100 years are up? Yet you threw yourself before the Emperor's chainsaw. Sacrifice and devotion for comrades—that's true warrior spirit."
"The Goddess said that?"
"More should remember your devotion. Even a warrior Goddess couldn't help herself."
As long as Hiu's ears didn't catch it. She'd blame herself again.
"Orcs call men like you heroes. By the former Great Shaman's name, I dub you Honorary Orc."
"I'm a fairy, though?"
"Then take it as such."
Half-joking, but the Hunter didn't mind.
"Few can think of sacrifice with lifelong goals in sight. I couldn't have."
The old man clapped his shoulder.
Finally, the Hunter spoke quietly with the Goddess.
I just watched.
The end was always simple and straightforward.
That's how departures are.
Having given all his gear, keeping only simple clothes and a small bow, the Hunter prayed at the Temple of Time.
Then vanished.
The God of Nature kept his promise. Before the Hunter left, he'd remarked it was impressive and returned me fully to the Goddess.
Now, she attended solely to me.
"The connection's fully severed."
'Like when a believer dies.'
"Yes, an eternal, irrecoverable loss."
'What'd you say at the end?'
"Just the usual perfunctory blessings. What else?"
With him truly gone, I comforted Hiu's wailing. The little one sobbed beside her.
The Hunter had been so good to these two. Like sisters under his care, he'd said.
That final sacrifice stemmed from it.
'But thinking about it, something's off.'
"What?"
'How did word spread that the God of Time sends you back to past runs?'
"Come to think, I only heard rumors too. Do you know if it's true? Honestly, since you said nothing, I assumed it was."
'It is true. Gamers would know, but others not.'
Roguelike storytelling usually pieces together fragmented messages.
Item descriptions, NPC lore, random encounters.
Gathering those hints forms a tale.
Users speculate and piece it together.
One famous episode: an Exile, nostalgic for the past, begs the God of Time to send him back.
But the ending wasn't great.
The "past" the God sent him to wasn't the real one.
Just a convincing mock world in appearance.
No Exiles came; no kingdoms connected; a small, closed realm with limited scope.
His end soured not because of that, but differing wishes from the Hunter's.
He wanted to reunite with past Exile comrades for more adventures.
Impossible in a closed world.
So he despaired. The record fell to the Abyss over time, into a player's hands.
But the Hunter just wants family life there. No issue if he doesn't adventure.
No needless suspicions.
Or even if he suspects, he might just be happy.
The Goddess, hearing all this, agreed.
"Does it matter? We're all data scraps anyway, you and I. No way to confirm."
'True. The Hunter might even hope he's data now. To truly match his family.'
"It's the heart that counts."
'Yes. Hope he's happy. He will be. Definitely.'
Whatever happens, people need to eat.
Hunger set in.
A simple meal began.
We could enter the kingdom first, but things might get busy unexpectedly, so we rested beforehand.
"Once we reach the kingdom, tons will swarm to approach us."
"Why?"
"This server's nearly survivor-free."
"Right, to enter this server from the kingdom, you need a native as party leader."
"Exactly. To mine a new server's resources, you need a survivor who reached the kingdom."
"And there are almost none?"
"This one's probably a goldmine to them."
I contacted the angel ahead. Told her to meet us.
That way, we could slip away.
Rankers or high-rankers wouldn't rush immediately, but masses of Exiles might detain us.
That'd be exhausting.
We need to hide at first.
Newly arrived famous Exiles aren't a good thing.
"Uncle, want food?"
"Sucking angel blood? You'd kill me."
"Gasp, can't even feed you now? Screw being an angel."
"Don't say scary stuff."
Hiu reached tentatively but stopped short.
"Can't even touch."
"Won't stay vampire forever. Bear it a bit."
"Can't hold hands! Confessing was a loss!"
"Don't frown. Ruins your pretty face."
Oddly, Hiu didn't delight at that.
Instead, she stared intently.
"Uncle."
"Yeah?"
"In the kingdom, we'll take it easy, right? The journey here's unavoidable, but now we can choose."
True. In the kingdom, no assigned floors—we pick destinations.
"You look exhausted."
"Do I? I'm always tired, actually."
"Not that."
I didn't get her drift. Not like this kid to get so serious.
"Always too busy. Next task, things to do, prep—while minding the party."
"I'm the leader."
"Yes, responsible position. But it's too much. How many years like this?"
I froze at that.
Years?
"Yeah. About 97."
"Never seen you rest. Even more since vampirism."
"That's why I became undead."
"Even 'resting,' you're noting, calculating, worrying. Ever truly rested?"
Her earnest face brooked no evasion.
"...Guess not."
Back at floor 2's Temple of Time, I squeezed every last bit with tricks.
Dizzy then—not stamina, something else.
"No more Hunter Uncle. So..."
Hiu knew. The young mage and maknae weren't ride-or-die comrades.
The old man, less so—not an Exile, not here for combat.
From kingdom: Hiu, little one, angel temp.
Party overhaul.
"I might've been useless so far. But you said solo can't clear the Labyrinth? That's not carrying all burdens alone."
"True."
My ideal elite party's perfect in every way.
Synergy issues? Overcome with will and wisdom.
"97 years fine. Now share the load. For real. I'll study if lacking. Teach me. Hate memorizing, but I'll try. Not just combat—other stuff too."
Come to think: never taught Hiu beyond combat skills.
Hunter handled the rest.
No more Hunter. Hiu eyed that gap.
Hiu thought.
Uncle's always rushing. Not just efficiency.
Like an obsession. Must do something, sometime.
He might not realize, but muttering, calculating, predicting alone? Not normal.
What pressures him so?
To her, failing clear after 100 years? Fine.
Just be happy together?
Hunter's family are NPCs. But did he look unhappy? Love them less? No one'd say yes.
And she'd glimpsed one of Uncle's obsessions.
NPC.
Burst once on floor 3; quiet since.
But he constantly questions someone's nature.
That time: pure explosion.
Pent-up self-doubt and anxiety erupting.
Mental fragility laid bare.
Shows in daily demeanor.
After early explanations using "NPC," he avoids the word.
Others say it naturally—even the self-aware old man.
He'd played this world's game before, via Goddess.
Sees it all as a game.
Might be true. She felt nothing.
First doubts same.
If alive, breathing, loving here? Isn't that human?
Data scraps? So what.
Her fear: Uncle's gaze treating her as virtual character.
Like Hunter's distant sincerity.
Watching Hunter seek happiness amplified it.
Then Uncle? Where's his happiness?
Labyrinth assault? Doesn't look happy, even politely.
Post-clear worries her more.
Will happiness await at end?
Or just ashes after burnout?
Mad obsession might end that way.
She couldn't bear it.
Fear brewing awhile.
"Do you love me?"
"Of course."
Don't answer so easy. Feels for me.
Want you happier truly, loving me.
"Really?"
"Sure. Else you'd stonewall, then fall eventually?"
Want you filled by me. Goals met or not, don't empty out.
That warm, kind smile now.
But unease creeps in—visible lately.
Adoring, watching: subtle hidden emotions clear.
He's frailer than thought. Talents hide it.
Why Goddess worries.
Don't want to just follow.
Be true life partner.
First spark? Forgotten.
Supporting each other: that's marriage.
Still family play? Someday real...
So, make Uncle's end happy.
Seeing Hiu's subtly worried, uneasy expression, I thought.
Time to tell her.
About the Jeong Family.
Hiu's sadly, overwhelmingly likely an NPC.
Kingdom veterans will know.
Korean born to superhuman Jeong lineage.
Will it hurt her? Unknown.
If shaken, support her.
No, probably won't shake.
"Is that a big deal?" Smiling at me.
Yeah, realized suddenly.
Why I resist yet fall into bonds.
Her boundless positivity, bright energy melts my stacked gloom.
Watching her, worries feel trivial.
This positivity-filled girl always will.
Sun melting 97 years' darkness.
First-run trait? Even decades in Labyrinth, she'd stay.
I want that as my faith.
Over gamer pride, clear hopes, believing I'm human.
Make her my faith.
Sun worship common. Now I get why.
She's dazzlingly so.
Yeah, I've been lonely till now.
While two fools' pure—or naive—thoughts crossed unbeknownst, the Hunter arrived in a forest fragrant with grass.
Memories he'd thought faded revived easily.
This land he'd lived—and wished to be buried—in.
He followed familiar paths into the woods.
A small fairy village appeared.
Fairies gathered in the central square.
Somber, subdued air hung.
Why?
Realized: an elder lay at center.
Peaceful smile, eyes closed.
But behind: despair.
Pit from unfinished 100 years.
His funeral.
No worry of not recognized.
As Hunter neared, fairies noticed the stranger.
No, not stranger.
Their memories overlaid this vaguely familiar fairy's face onto someone.
The closed-eyed elder's younger self preserved perfectly.
But quickest: the tearful woman at center.
And her two daughters.
Three fairies' eyes widened.
Hunter spread arms, approaching.
In silence, the fairy woman asked tremulously.
"You... how?"
Only now did Hunter feel hot tears on cheeks.
And the first cause forging this bond, another causing parting, yet another reuniting here.
One word sufficed.
"I'm an Exile."
Started it all.
Brought him back.
Rushing family's warmth so tender.
Finally, all ended.
Labyrinth doesn't always breed tragedy.
Sometimes revives the dead, returns them.
Thus.
One Exile's journey.
Reached conclusion here.