Descent into the Death Labyrinth
Elite Ninjas dove into the massive pit, Master folding her wings as she began gliding down. At first, a cool breeze brushed my face, but as we descended deeper, the air grew damp and heavy. The black rocks blurring past suggested we were dropping fast, yet the bottom remained invisible, the depths endless. Whoa... it really has no end.
Spiraling down along the winding path, strange carvings on the walls came into view. Skulls and bones adorned the stone, interspersed with magic circles all themed around death. It felt like they were trying to advertise this as the Death Labyrinth, but it wasn't scary at all.
"Master, Nis! What happens if the ruler here dies?"
A sudden curiosity struck me, so I asked. If we kept going and fought the ruler, wouldn't that mean they'd definitely die?
Nis elegantly swept back her hair and replied, "An enormous mana core from the labyrinth's heart emerges. Whoever claims it becomes the new ruler."
"A core?"
"It's like a gem condensing the immense magic power that drives the entire labyrinth. Absorb it, and you gain tremendous strength—not to mention the ability to remodel the labyrinth itself."
"Whoa..."
"Why? Wanna be the ruler?"
Master turned her long neck toward me, a flicker of curiosity in those white eyes.
"No way!" I shook my head vigorously. "I wanna live with you, Master! No need for that—Sia Kalt with you is the best!"
It was the honest truth. Even if I became the labyrinth's ruler, being stuck here alone without Master? No thanks. The loneliness of those three years alone resurfaced, making me shrink back.
Master smiled warmly, and just seeing it warmed my heart.
"Hehe. Still, Ricoris, once Nis and I take down the ruler here, you become it."
"Huh?"
"Your bugs can handle management, right? Just absorb the core and leave it be."
"Hey, no one's asking my opinion? I'll help, sure, but..."
Nis huffed tsundere-style but agreed to join.
Eh... for real...? Me, becoming one of the world's strongest already...? My head heated up, heart pounding wildly. Master's pet, friends with Nis, Michael's apostle, Bellona's disciple, ties to Abraksas—and now labyrinth ruler! Oh man... is flower-mode difficulty supposed to be this easy?
"Um... but don't you and Nis need the mana core? That massive magic power could help you too, Master..."
"Pffft." Nis burst into giggles. "Ricoris, a demon lord once called the Past Demon King swallowed two labyrinth cores and exploded."
...Wait, what? The Demon King died like that?
My mind reeled. Seraphina said the first hero defeated the Demon King... And in the game, he was fine, owning two labyrinths. Isn't this the second one?
"Nis, is this where the Demon King ate his second core?"
"Oh! How'd you know?"
Nis's eyes widened in surprise.
Gasp... it's true!
"Just... a feeling?"
Can't exactly say the game told me...
"A feeling...?" Nis tilted her head, then continued. "The Demon King was a tragic case of greed. Boom! The explosion echoed across the continent."
"Eek..."
With Nis as eyewitness, it must be true. So Seraphina's history is distorted?
"That happened...?" Master asked, intrigued.
"Yeah... you were probably sleeping, Frostia. Didn't even know two cores were a no-go?"
"Of course not."
Eh... Master was gonna yield it to me without knowing the risk of two cores?
"M-Master..."
I flopped onto her, rubbing my cheek frantically. I'll get as strong as you and protect you!
Master kept gliding down, and corpses of monsters and demons started appearing everywhere. Shattered gargoyle statues, charred cockatrices, frozen minotaurs... The scattered bodies let me guess the party's path: Cecilia's flames, Glessia's ice, Lote's piercings, Levy's arrows, Liandel's magic circles...
But something felt off. Each corpse made me feel... better? A strange excitement? Elation?
"Hmm... Ricoris's scent..."
Nis suddenly said.
Huh...?
"Am I smelling...?"
I sniffed my hand in shock. Just sweet, fresh floral fragrance. Fine, right...?
"No, the evil god stench is stronger."
Huh? Evil god smell?
"Yeah, that sticky aura's intensifying."
Master agreed, her white eyes scrutinizing me closely.
"Uh...?"
Oh no, is this... a skill thing?
I quickly checked my status window.
「Domain Control LV7」 「Crimson Apocalypse」 「Freeze Immunity」 「Photosynthesis LV8」 「Exterminating Toxin」 「Dark Root Dance」 「Pollen Bloom LV9」 「Pollen-Seduction (Adv) LV7」 「Pain Tolerance LV4」 「Trance LV8」 「Pollen-Paralysis (Adv) LV7」 「Pollen-Recovery (Ult)」 「Pollen-Bleed (Adv) LV4」 「Pollen-Corrosion LV6」 「Pollen-Decay (Adv) LV5」 「Elysian Essence Honey」 「Flower Nectar-Will (Adv) LV4」 「Bloodline」 「Blood Moon」 「Intimidation LV7」 「Radiance LV7」 「Poison Resistance LV7」 「Overwhelm LV3」 「Polymorph」 「Authority - Divine Radiance」 「Authority - Sanctus Iudicium」 「Authority - Lux Purification」 「Authority - Oculus Veritas」 「Authority - Hemomancy」 「Authority - Deathmark」 「Aesthetics of Murder」 「Pollen-Plantification LV3」
[Inferno Stigma] [Michael's Cheer] [Demonic Nature] [Frostia's Attachment Plant] [Blood Heavenfall] [Michael's Flower] [Auto-Equip Outfit (Default-Black Dress Set)-Polymorph] [Polymorph Effect-Black & Red Smoke] [Flawless] [Noble Grace] [Noble Lady Etiquette] [Sia Kalt Guardian] [Mana Collector] [Michael's Apostle] [Bellona's Beloved Disciple] [Art of Death]
What the—! When did my level jump like that? Thanks to the demons Michael wiped out? Did their EXP come to me!?
Wait, no—that's not the point.
[Art of Death] - Perceive the beauty in death. Gain demonic power proportional to detected deaths nearby.
Demonic power every detected death nearby... With corpses everywhere, that's why!
Focusing, I felt it steadily accumulating. Exactly the sensation Bellona taught me.
But why can't I see demonic or divine power amounts...?
Status window! You sneaky thing—hiding this all along!?
"Ugh!"
"Hm? Ricoris?"
Master sounded puzzled.
Agh... embarrassing...
"Uh... seems like a power I got in the Demon Realm..."
I said cautiously. What if Master hates it?
Flutter flutter! That's when Miel flew atop my head and started yanking my hair.
Ow! This bug again!
How does she even know T_T!?
"I'm fine! Totally normal!"
I swatted at Miel, but she'd already flown high.
"Doesn't seem like a problem anyway."
Master's calm voice eased me. Tension melted, peace returning.
"Become ruler, live three thousand years, and you'll surpass any evil god."
"Th-three... thousand years?"
3,000 years... from mid-ancient Korea to modern day? Dizzying...
"Fast, Ricoris. Three millennia flies by."
"Right. Time just flows like that."
Nis agreed.
Then the wide pit narrowed. Walls closed in, faint light glimmering below. Finally, the bottom appeared.
"Oh..."
Corpses piled sky-high. LV200+ monsters, 5-star demons' remains. The Ninja party beat this? Without a scratch? Did they power up without me...?
Surveying the unbelievable scene, I spotted countless small tunnels in the walls. Each seemed bottomless; the labyrinth like a massive ant hill, maze-like and impossible to navigate.
Master shimmered silver, slowly reverting to human form. Her transformation was always breathtaking. The brooch still pointed down, glowing brighter.
"Which tunnel...?"
Dozens, at least...
"Just punch through the ground."
Nis said casually.
"Huh?"
"Labyrinths aren't special. Just—"
Rumble rumble rumble!
The ground shook violently. The whole labyrinth quaked like a massive earthquake.
"Eek!"
I stumbled; Master caught me swiftly.
"What the—"
Then an odd change hit. The air... heated up. Warm at first, then scorching, like a blast furnace.
"Ricoris, fall back..."
As Master's voice came, the floor cracked—a colossal pillar of fire erupted. Flames shot skyward, illuminating everything.
"Kyaaah!"
Scream escaped me. Fire nooo! Didn't touch me, but seeing it burned my whole body.
Instantly, freezing chill enveloped me.
"Ah..."
Master conjured a massive ice wall. Transparent ice enclosed us protectively, shielding from flames.
"Hah... hah..."
I panted, leaning on the ice. Its cold soothed my shock.
"You're okay, Ricoris."
Master patted my back.
"This... something's happening to the labyrinth?"
Nis peered out. Flames still raged, quakes ongoing. Like some fundamental, massive shift had begun.