Dorne's Return and Forged Reunion
Dorne had returned to the city in the Western Labyrinth alongside Obholder. After resting the night away in the annex provided by the Oren Labyrinth Merchant Group to shake off his travel fatigue, he was now visiting the Warrior Guild. It was the same guild that had connected him with Lucian last time. He greeted a familiar staff member.
"Long time no see."
"Whoa— Dorne? You look even bigger!"
As he removed his iron visor with one hand and bowed his head in greeting, the staff member jumped in surprise before welcoming him warmly.
"I'm here looking for another unusual party introduction."
Dorne explained his situation clearly to the staff member. He'd acquired a summon in the Northern Labyrinth and had come back to the Western Labyrinth alone, separated from his party, to get abilities suited to that summon. He wanted a single, solid expedition.
Since they had a friendly relationship with the Warrior Guild, he hoped to share his circumstances honestly and get the perfect puzzle piece in return.
The staff member listened carefully to Dorne's story but furrowed his brow in concern.
"Hmm... I don't know of any parties right now aiming for floors 4-5 in just one expedition."
Dorne and the staff member both frowned, lost in thought. The staff pondered how to help this giant but couldn't come up with anything concrete. Dorne was an impressive warrior, but as a mere employee, he wasn't in a position to take proactive action.
"Well, no helping it. Even just a priest provides insurance for an expedition, so I'll look into one separately."
"Ah— really? Priest news doesn't always reach here anyway. Stay well, Dorne."
As Dorne rose from the chair—barely wide enough for half his rear—the staff member stood to see him off.
"Hmm. I wonder if any priest remembers me as Inoi's comrade. A priest would make an expedition viable."
Accompanied by the floating Obholder, Dorne entered the temple. A timid priest gasped at the sight of Obholder, who looked like the incarnation of evil itself.
Dorne approached the counter where the priest sat and spoke up.
"Priest, this is Obholder, my summon, so no need to worry. I'm thinking of using the bulletin board. Do people usually recruit for just a single expedition here?"
The priest pondered the surprisingly sociable giant's words. (Looking closer, Obholder's clean whites and curious black pupils seem kinda cute, actually.)
"Well, most seek long-term brothers and sisters to journey with, but parties looking for a priest for just one or two runs aren't unheard of. That said, we have to verify the explorers to ensure our brothers and sisters don't get hurt in the labyrinth. Oh, there's a brother right now seeking a warrior for a one-time expedition. Shall I introduce you? Though it'll be the warrior getting hired onto your party."
Obholder's curious gaze fixed on the priest, drawing out a level of attentiveness not granted to ordinary explorers.
Dorne, who had been ready to drop Inoi's name if needed, seized this unexpected stroke of luck like manna from heaven.
"Of course. Call him now."
"Please wait here a moment."
The priest stepped away. As Dorne and Obholder chatted idly to pass the time, the counter priest returned with a male priest in tow.
"...Dorne?"
"Baren? Long time. Good to see you."
Dorne, harboring no ill will toward Baren, spoke casually. Baren Tois, who had suffered at Dorne's hands before, neither stormed off nor threw a fit—he simply took a seat.
"So, what brings you seeking a one-off party? Didn't you form a fixed one early on?"
To Dorne's eyes, Baren Tois didn't seem forced or suppressing resentment. If it were the Baren from that day, it wouldn't be strange for him to resent Dorne for "stealing" Inoi or to hate him outright. But while Dorne had been delving the Northern Labyrinth, Baren seemed to have sorted his feelings and reflected.
Priests really are priests, huh...?
Dorne's evaluation of Baren Tois shot up. (It had started out extremely low.)
Not everyone starts out great, but no one truly is from the beginning. The admirable people you know likely rose from messy growth processes in places you never saw. Shaking off negativity to become better isn't something anyone can do. The world is full of shameless folks who won't even admit their obvious faults. (Just watch Kang Moon-chul TV.)
"Baren, you look good. I mean it. I was too harsh last time—sorry, even if it's late."
Dorne offered a handshake, and Baren accepted without overthinking. Grasping a few of Dorne's iron-gloved fingers and shaking, Baren Tois wasn't beaming, but he smiled.
"Fine, apology accepted. You were mischievous, but it was my fault. No arguments there. Turns out you're a decent guy after all."
Having brushed off the past, Baren asked again.
"So, you're definitely looking for a one-time party?"
"Yeah. Got this guy as a summon in the Northern Labyrinth and came here to feed him magic-specialized abilities."
"Two warriors left my five-man party, and the mage employer still needs one more ability, so we were seeking a temp warrior. You'd be more than welcome—you'll pull triple duty."
The two warriors Baren had been with were people Dorne knew. Dorne and Baren set a meeting time and place for the expedition and parted ways. On his way back to the annex, Dorne stopped at a shop to buy necessities. Unlike the Northern Labyrinth where he'd sustained himself on hunting and foraging, preserved rations and water skins were essentials for parties without 【Inventory】.
The three familiar explorers gathered with Dorne near the labyrinth entrance portal.
"We've seen faces but never properly introduced. I'm Dorne. This here's Obholder."
"I'm Sion."
"Mairon here."
The hired scout introduced himself as Sion, and the financier employing them all as Mairon. Sion seemed like a rational, quiet scout with nothing standout, but Mairon was different. Dorne had ignored him before since they had little connection, but he didn't strike as ordinary. The perpetual enigmatic smile, the way he hired all these explorers yet refrained from controlling them. If you're spending the money, you'd normally want oversight. Yet this Mairon had stuck with a five-man party despite Baren's stubbornness, gotten tangled with Dorne's party against his will, witnessed a real dragon—and still journeyed on with Baren. He even promised Dorne pay matching his skill. Something was off about him. Even now, he was observing Dorne's summon, Obholder. (Obholder, equally intrigued, peered back with its big eyes.)
"Alright, let's head in. Good luck on this expedition."
With Dorne joining what had been Baren's-led party, leadership shifted to him. This impromptu four-man party, bound by unexpected ties, clasped hands and entered the labyrinth. (Summons could accompany their summoner regardless of entry/exit quotas.)
After about a week of exploration, Dorne's temporary party gathered before the 5th-floor descent portal.
"The impact of one warrior can be this huge... Unbelievable."
Baren Tois's words came after watching Dorne's feats from the rear up to the 4th floor.
"This isn't normal."
Sion, an experienced scout navigating the labyrinth himself, agreed. Mairon watched from a step back as usual.
Dorne had truly rampaged through to the 4th floor. Spewing mana from his back and limbs for propulsion, freely compensating the giant's sole weakness—agility—with Ironclad Giant, he cleaved through packs of charging monsters with his long sword. The party marveled deeply at the iron-clad giant who sometimes even flew. (Baren had matured from their clash, using it as mental fertilizer, but memories of opposing Dorne still sent chills down his spine and weakened his knees at times.)
Dorne rose from his seat.
"We've rested enough. Let's head to the 5th floor."
Dorne's mana was full, so all recovery was being diverted to Obholder. With stamina integrated into mana, his condition was peak.
The four clasped hands and used the 5th-floor descent portal, dropping into the labyrinth's 5th-floor graveyard.
-Groooar-
In the moonlit graveyard, a corpse golem taller than Dorne swung its arm at him as he landed randomly. Dorne easily dodged the swipe and scanned around—they were surrounded by zombies and corpse golems.
"Over here."
Dorne scooped up the three non-warriors and blasted purple mana, soaring into the sky. (He wore a massive backpack on his back.)
The zombies poised to charge could only stare dumbfounded, like dogs who'd lost a chicken, as Dorne's party flew out of the encirclement.
-Shoooooo—
"I bless thee...."
Baren blessed Dorne after setting the trio safely outside the ring, sword drawn. A faint holy light flowed along Dorne's sharp blade.
-Slash slash shiiiik-!
Late to react, the charging zombies fell six at a time to single strokes. No matter where struck, they split in two, elites and regulars alike tumbling as meat chunks.
The rabble zombies cleared quickly, and the lumbering corpse golems lumbered in.
-Groooaaar-
A corpse golem was exactly that—undead molded from countless corpse types like clay into humanoid shape. Lacking eyes, nose, or mouth, it bellowed through unknown means.
-Shwick-!
For Dorne, it had been ages since facing something larger than himself. To tackle the golem's immense mass, he struck its leg with his holy-infused sword, but tough, reedy tissue clamped his blade, refusing release. Dorne, proud of his sword strikes, felt irritation.
My strike couldn't even sever one leg...
Rather than danger, Dorne felt vexed by the foe shrugging off his attack. He left the sword lodged in its knee, hindering its step, and backed off two paces.
While Obholder was summoned, its iron masses persisted regardless of time or distance. Dorne formed a long-hafted two-handed axe and targeted the opposite leg.
Purple mana jetted from his elbows, heels, and axe head, propelling him.
-Crunch-!
Thud—!
One leg gone, the corpse golem toppled shoulder-first, then crashed onto its back under its own weight.
-Shiiiick-!
Dorne's massive axe smashed into the prone golem's neck, thrashing arms flailing. It severed the neck, axe head burying deep; purple mana faded from it.
Retrieving axe and sword via mana, the golem's deeply gouged earth filled with bubbling black rotten blood—glug glug.
Dorne upgraded his self-assessment by a notch. Grown to rival deep-delvers, he was methodically testing his limits through real combat, like tapping a stone bridge.