Week 2 (6)
Week 2 (6)
As I explained before, in Tombstone, all objects that can interact with enemies inside the Labyrinth are randomly generated based on the 'Biome'.
This is fundamentally because the game encourages multiple playthroughs, or the 'die and try again' approach, but even so, there are exceptions.
To somewhat adjust the brutally tight early-game difficulty where you have to squeeze every last drop out of your mercenaries and resources just to make progress, Tombstone showed its final shred of mercy by fixing the first Biome as the 'Forest'.
And the Labyrinth's Biomes, including that one, are shared across three layers unless there's some special circumstance.
In other words, from the 1st Layer to the 3rd Layer, it's fixed as Forest in every single playthrough.
Naturally, the boss is fixed too.
That's the biggest reason I can push forward with this expedition.
I've memorized every pattern and strategy down to the letter, and I've even crunched the numbers to confirm it's stable enough for a clear.
That said, if you flip the perspective a bit, it also means they wouldn't recommend this reckless expedition to anyone who isn't as experienced as me.
And that's exactly the case.
Blood Moon difficulty, 2. Extremely limited self-recovery options, 3. A party of just three people.
Even just listing it out verbally, you've got three massive hurdles stacked up—this expedition would be a freakish stroke of luck if it were easy.
"Valerie-ssi, you okay?"
"Yeah, all good. I'm more worried about that bitch over there."
It wasn't as bad as Ray, whose Desire had climbed to 78, but Valerie's was at 48 right now—not exactly a number you could call perfectly fine.
That's why I'd asked, but luckily, she seemed okay at this level.
With the attitude of some neighborhood auntie side-eyeing a scantily clad young lady while clucking her tongue in disapproval, Valerie glanced over at Ray.
Even I had to admit her outfit was pretty disheveled, so I just gave an awkward smile and looked away.
And understandably so—that was basically a bikini, a skimpy one at that, the kind you couldn't look at with innocent eyes.
The raw exposure of her body was overly stimulating.
I'd thought the same when I'd accidentally run into her in the Mercenaries' Barracks last time, but Ray's body was violent in all sorts of ways.
Maybe she heard me swallow without thinking, because Valerie, who'd been glaring at Ray with a displeased look from beside me, got that 'aha, caught you' expression.
"Hey, Master-nim, what were you just thinking?"
"...Nothing at all?"
Even I knew my response was a beat too late.
Valerie instantly picked up on that awkward silence and grinned slyly.
"You said you weren't affected by it, but you're still a guy, huh?"
I barely held back from snapping at her.
No way was I about to flaunt my masculinity in front of Superhumans who could send some random normie to the grave with one punch.
If she called me a pussy, I'd just have to take it.
To begin with, even before reincarnating here, I was a total virgin loser nerd who looked like he'd been drawn in a comic.
After over twenty years where the only woman I'd been close to was my mom, there was no way I could puff up my chest in front of these scary ladies.
"What, planning to do her when we get back?"
I'd decided to just ignore her, but Valerie kept needling me with that subtly mocking smirk.
Like it was utterly impossible or something... fuck. It hit too close to home, which only pissed me off more.
"Well, yeah, if you can't even bag a girl who parades around like that in front of strangers, you're kinda lacking as a man... right?"
"Urk... c-can we focus? We're still in the Labyrinth?"
In short, it was a taunt: 'You're a harmless guy, aren't you?'
I'd taken such massive internal damage that a frustrated groan slipped out between my lips without me realizing.
I managed to play it off somehow right after, but Valerie still had that slimy smirk lingering on her face.
Like, 'eh, whatever, that'll do.'
F-furious...!
People get hit harder by things they can't even deny themselves than by total nonsense.
In other words, even I thought I came off as pretty harmless.
If I had to make excuses, it's because doing anything thoughtless in the Labyrinth's influence zone would turn me into 'the butler'—as in, half-mad or totally unhinged. Terror!
"Hmm... Master-nim's got good handiwork, so I'm sure it'll work out."
And then came Kali's ambiguous 'encouragement'—phrased like support but basically another layer of violence.
Plus, the 'good handiwork' bit was totally a misunderstanding.
Back then, when I was tying her up, I was just moving my hands as Kali instructed.
As I sat there blushing without a word, Valerie snickered and patted my shoulder.
"Master-nim, hang in there?"
My head whipped around on reflex, and right in front of me, Valerie casually parted the front of her jacket.
I knew this wasn't the time, but my eyes were inevitably drawn to the crop top underneath that pitch-black jacket.
Just as my brain short-circuited from the glimpse of cleavage, I snapped out of it by slapping my own cheek—chap.
"Pfft."
Of course, my gaze direction had already been totally exposed, so I couldn't avoid Valerie's mocking laugh.
Sad, us males as a species.
"Hold up, stop."
Right in the middle of our banter, Ray, who was scouting ahead, suddenly halted.
In stark contrast to the smiles we'd shared moments ago, Valerie instantly switched to combat mode and nudged me back a bit.
But this time, it wasn't an enemy.
"The vibe's changed."
Kali said, having sensed the weirdness right away.
Just like she said, the Forest, which hadn't really had any distinct paths before, was gradually converging into one spot.
The blatantly unnatural structure was obvious, and even a quick look at the nearby trees would've tipped anyone off that something was off.
"We got here sooner than expected."
"What? You mean..."
Valerie jumped in sharply.
I gave a slight nod and answered.
"Yeah, the Floor Boss should be up ahead."
*
"It's getting more ominous the further we go..."
Valerie muttered uneasily.
The path leading to the Floor Boss battle was already exuding an unusual aura, as if foreshadowing a fight unlike any before.
"This bark... is it glass?"
Kali, keeping watch on the rear, murmured blankly.
Just as she said, the bark on the densely clustered trees around us was split smoothly in places.
A glassy surface with a metallic sheen that you couldn't possibly mistake for plant material.
Ray tapped a tree with her gauntlet-clad hand and said,
"Like a mirror. I can see my reflection."
Now that she mentioned it, our images were reflected on the massive trunks like in a mirror.
Ray stared at it for a moment, then suddenly shifted her body away, as if embarrassed by her own reflection.
Doing that now was ridiculous.
If that was really the case, she could just dig out the cloak from her backpack and throw it back on.
But even amid all that, she wasn't asking to open the bag, so clearly no intention there.
"Something about this... isn't it too pretty?"
Valerie tilted her head and asked.
I stared at her blankly, wondering what she meant, and she jumped right in like she'd been waiting.
"Y'know, up till now, it's been all sticky, tiring, unpleasant... that whole vibe, right?"
"Well... yeah? It's a Labyrinth."
Otherwise it'd be a tourist spot.
Valerie continued as I answered half-heartedly.
"But this place is too beautiful. Dunno why, but the dissonance is off the charts."
"Ah, yeah, you're right."
I got what she meant.
In truth, this path to the Floor Boss's lair felt overly beautiful and fantastical to even be part of the Labyrinth.
The mirror-like tree bark and all—the overall color palette of the scenery was gradually turning more dreamlike the further we went.
Not weird to feel that way at all.
"By the way, seems like Master-nim knows a decent bit about what's waiting up ahead?"
Then Valerie asked suspiciously. She'd been extra distrustful of me since last time...
It was a bit awkward, but I quickly spun an answer.
"I heard some stuff from the butler, y'know. Though he didn't explain properly..."
"Hmm," Valerie said, seemingly accepting it for now as she resumed scanning ahead warily.
Well, given the butler's state, no one would trust him to explain anything seriously.
Score one for me this time.
As I mentally thanked the butler, Kali spoke up, having spotted something.
"Master-nim, you see that?"
Following her outstretched finger, I turned my gaze—and there was a pretty bizarre sight.
A few pale purple flowers hanging down from the sky.
They dangled in an unnatural pose, as if defying gravity, upside-down and tethered to some endless point in the heavens.
And the even weirder part? As we passed underneath, the flower buds twitched like they'd been waiting for us.
I'd known from the graphics, but seeing it in person was something else.
Along with that irrelevant emotion, the thought that hit me was the certainty we were steadily burrowing into its domain.
"Sharpen your senses from here on. We've entered its territory."
At my words, all three ramped up their tension without a reply.
We'd already reached a spot where an encounter was fully possible, so it wouldn't be strange if it showed up any second—
"3 o'clock, unidentified lifeform spotted."
Ray said in a hushed voice.
Tension spiked instantly.
I cautiously turned toward the direction she indicated, and there it was.
"Whoa."
Valerie let out a breathy sound, crystal clear.
Not the kind from fear or disgust.
It was more like the sigh you let out when taking in something beautiful.
"No need to hold your breath. It'll notice us no matter how quietly we approach."
It was the Floor Boss, after all.
It had more than enough ability to detect intruders stepping into its turf—obviously.
I deliberately locked eyes with it and advanced slowly.
As if it'd been waiting, it rose gracefully from its nest.
"Let's go end this."
The Mirror-barked Deer, Mirenheart, has appeared. *