The Last Two Hounds
The two dog beastmen in the Maze of Evolution stared at me blankly. Judging by their fur colors, they seemed to be the same dogs I'd originally kept with me. But these ones had never spoken before.
Did they… evolve?
The types of wild dogs I'd acquired back in Stage 2 had been incredibly varied. At the time, I'd thought they were just a pack of strays. Looking back now, these creatures must have been some kind of imitation of Earth's dogs.
Only two left after all that.
Looking at them brought a smile to my face. Even after they'd turned into beastmen, I could still tell who was who. Despite their human faces, they retained most of their original traits.
The yellow one wagging its tail in front of me was the dog that used to follow Baengnae around all day, sniffing everywhere. The gray one standing a little farther back was the one that would yawn in the shade whenever it had a spare moment.
Wait, were they both female…?
I'd assumed the gray one was male based on its behavior, but apparently not. It didn't really matter. We weren't going to breed them, so what difference did their sex make?
Every now and then I'd see attempts on the community boards to increase summon numbers through breeding. Most of them failed in the end. Technically, the breeding itself succeeded, but the real problem was that it took far too long for the new offspring to become combat-ready.
Was the only successful case the goblins?
Generally, the larger and smarter the individual, the longer it took to grow. In that sense, the beastmen before me weren't suited for breeding. They were both well over two meters tall. The fact that they'd evolved into beastmen while still the size of calves meant that trait had carried over.
"Step back for a bit."
"The Master says to step back. Step back!"
"Idiot. I'm already standing behind you."
"Huk! I'm the only one stepping back!"
The brown one seemed to have a bit of a low intelligence. Not that it was surprising. If anything, its stupidity gave off a proper zombie vibe, so it fit right in.
"If you two are going to be noisy, go hunt something. Being in Stage 4 makes me starving."
"Food! The Master has ordered a hunt! Hunt!"
The brown beastman dashed toward the bushes, and the gray one scratched its head before chasing after it.
Might as well check my condition.
I did a few light bodyweight exercises to stimulate my muscles. The results weren't bad. The clear recovery had brought me back to about seventy percent. If I eat well and sleep well, I'll be fully recovered in two days.
Soon enough, the brown beastman returned with a rabbit in its mouth. She dropped the drool-covered rabbit in front of me.
"Master! I caught it!"
This one could walk on two legs, so why had it insisted on carrying the rabbit in its mouth? It clearly needed some training. Even as a Zombie Summoner, I had no desire to eat something soaked in zombie fluids.
"By the way, how long was I asleep?"
"Uh… uhh."
The brown beastman rolled its eyes. It obviously had no idea. Just then, the gray beastman emerged from the bushes holding three rabbits in each hand.
"Master. That one is an idiot."
At least one of them had some sense. Come to think of it, the gray one had been the leader of the wild dogs. She set the rabbits down and continued.
"It's been about three days since you collapsed. And the little Master has taken the troops out on patrol."
She's doing well.
The concept of Stage 4 was a maze. The area around me looked like a forest, but we were actually inside a massive maze. If you kept going in one direction, you'd eventually hit a wall fifty meters high. The maze itself wasn't the threat. The real danger of a maze was getting lost and becoming stranded. Once you were cut off from human civilization, you'd suffer from loneliness and food shortages until you starved to death.
But for users, loneliness and cultural isolation were like close friends. In the end, the biggest problem was the loss of the nutritional support that had been provided for beginner protection.
Sizzle— Sizzle—
And that problem could be solved right now by hunting wild animals. This maze was so enormous that it had its own diverse ecosystem. Rabbits were just a tiny fraction of it—countless different lifeforms coexisted with users inside this maze.
So the maze was nothing more than decoration. The real threats of Stage 4 were the vicious, savage predators scattered throughout the maze. We had to share or compete with them for limited resources and survive in this vast place.
Then was Baengnae wandering around hunting the surrounding predators? No. What Baengnae was searching for were special artifacts. This was also the biggest reason users shed the "newbie" label starting from Stage 4. This massive maze contained various special artifacts that aided in the growth and evolution of summons. That was why Stage 4 was called the Maze of Evolution.
Evolution came equally to everyone. To the maze's predators. And to the enemies aiming for our throats.
Three days ago.
Han Yua shed hot tears after receiving the returnee's message. The returnee was clearly an ultra-high-floor Climber. Otherwise, the high-grade information he possessed made no sense.
The first returnee. What a glorious and powerful title. If he'd possessed the power of a one-man army and returned to Earth, he could have enjoyed a life of luxury and comfort. But even so, he'd come back here to save people. He'd invaded Stage 3, which was beyond his reach, to rescue others, obtained information, and shared it for the public good.
"You… how can you go this far?"
He'd mentioned experiencing death during this journey. It must have been the result of defying the world's laws and paying a heavy penalty. He hadn't replied in three days now.
You're doing this much, but those people… how dare they!
Han Yua's hands trembled. It was because of those "Returnee Anti-Club" bastards. Han Yua had spread the returnee's information to Stage 3 users and praised his sacrifice. But the Anti-Club denied her. They claimed the returnee didn't exist and that this was a scam fabricated by Climber.
When the returnee himself didn't appear no matter how much time passed, the Anti-Club grew even more rampant. They mocked her, saying they'd known this would happen. Of course, not everyone joined them. Public opinion emerged defending Han Yua, arguing that there were aspects that couldn't be explained without the returnee's existence. Thus, the Returnee Supporters, a counterforce to the Anti-Club, was formed.
Beyond Stage 6 had turned into chaos. It was something that couldn't be interfered with on other servers. But whenever members of opposing groups from the same server met, fights inevitably broke out. And at the forefront of each side stood Han Yua and Kim Seolhwa respectively.
Because of this situation, new inflows began selecting servers based on returnee affinity. Those who extremely supported the returnee headed to the Gray Castle, while those who extremely hated them went to Dream Island. The remaining servers stayed as neutral options where one could choose with moderate alignment.
And at that moment, Kim Seolhwa was tearing at her hair. She'd already known through her sponsor that the returnee actually existed. So she'd planned to play the villain appropriately, then hint that "I had no choice but to doubt due to lack of information" and turn around shyly. After all, every story had one enemy who eventually became an ally, didn't it?
No! Why is the Anti-Club doing so well?!
But the power of jealousy and envy was strong. On top of that, countless interests had become intricately intertwined, turning into something massive that could no longer be untangled. Kim Seolhwa had gone beyond club president and was now called "Queen" among some high-rankers. The rumor that she'd been royalty in reality had spread, and the title "Queen" had naturally taken root. That only made things more difficult for Kim Seolhwa.
No, where are there any royals in South Korea! Just who the hell spread that weird rumor… What is this.
Of course, if you traced Kim Seolhwa's family tree far enough back, you'd find a collateral branch of the Joseon royal family. But if you calculated it that way, where in South Korea would there be anyone who wasn't royalty? Tracing it back to a hundredth cousin wasn't much different from the logic that the entire nation was family.
Kim Seolhwa fell into deep thought. There had to be a way. Even if you were thrown into a tiger's den, you'd survive if you kept your wits about you, right? That had been her long-standing belief as a Tiger Summoner.
Kim Seolhwa's sponsor, the woman called Rinzel, walked click-clack toward the conference room where numerous sponsors had gathered. Rinzel had been in a very good mood lately because she'd had time to dream. As long as nothing particularly unpleasant happened, she could maintain this happy state for at least a few years. She smiled brightly at the crowd.
"Hello. You've all been waiting, right? I've finally brought the news you've been waiting for."
The sponsors looked like they wanted her to speak already. They'd been trapped in this conference room for several days now. Unless a certain number of participants died or cleared the mutated difficulty, they couldn't leave the location. And some of the sponsors' eyes were filled with discontent. Even though they'd sponsored because of the company, the extinction of the summoner they supported wasn't a pleasant thing.
But at Rinzel's next words, the sponsors who'd been frowning just moments ago brightened up instantly.
"As per the agreement, since more than 75% of the 200 summoners have either died or moved beyond the stage, I've come to tally the results. Deaths so far: 107. Clears: 38. Over-clears: 4…."
The sponsors murmured at her words. "Over-clear" meant they'd rescued the Earthlings who'd been kidnapped into the mutated stage. It meant they were summoners with the potential to become gems. The prevailing opinion had been that most summoners wouldn't even be able to clear. But the results had completely exceeded expectations. The sponsors were excited. They were all bragging to those next to them that their sponsored summoner must have over-cleared.
Just then, someone shouted at Rinzel.
"Wait. That only adds up to 149 people. You said you came to tally because the criteria were met, but we haven't reached 150 yet?"
Rinzel gave a deep smile at those words, as if she'd been waiting for them.
"And one perfect clear. One of the people here had their sponsored summoner open the first door."
Silence fell over the conference room in an instant. It was like gathering a crowd and saying one of you had won the lottery. The bragging disappeared, and everyone quietly swallowed as they happily imagined, Was it me?
And while the sponsors were savoring that tension, Death's Cat was fidgeting restlessly, her rear end bouncing up and down. She couldn't leave until the tally announcement was over. The cat needed to retrieve the dead idiot as soon as possible. No, she realized there was a chance he might still be alive if he was lucky. If so, she needed to tell him to just hold on a little longer.
Hurry, hurry up and let me go…!
The leader chuckled at the cat's behavior. The cat didn't seem to know that her kitten had already escaped from Death. The leader decided not to tell her, since it was amusing.