Chapter 272: Labyrinth of Change: Labyrinthos (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 272: Labyrinth of Change: Labyrinthos (1)
“Wow, you completely got me.”
Master looked remarkably pleased for someone who had just lost.
She looked proud, almost like a teacher delighted to see her disciple’s growth.
Of course, that couldn’t be the case. It was probably just my own bias making it seem that way.
“So, what kind of favor does my junior want to ask of me?”
Regardless of the reason, it was an undeniable fact that Master seemed happy.
“Oh, just so you know, I have no intention of getting into a relationship. I’m a woman with… circumstances!”
…This was the problem with this person.
She had a habit of making even the most serious matters sound like trivial jokes, speaking so lightly that it often led people to misunderstand.
In the past, when I didn’t know her situation and begged her to stop pestering me to drink and just find a boyfriend instead…
She would cackle and say that since the beautiful die young, it would be a disservice to a boyfriend if she had one.
When someone says something like that with a smiling face while chugging from a bottle, who would ever think it was the truth?
“…Oh? Looking at your face, are you angry? It was just a joke.”
The part about romance might be a joke, but the part about having “circumstances” certainly wasn’t.
Master hadn’t changed a bit, then or now.
“Senior.”
“Yes?”
“Now that I’m about to ask, it might seem like a bit of a strange request. It’s okay to say no if you don’t like it.”
“Uh, um. You’re making me a bit nervous by framing it like that. Just how grand of a favor are you going to ask?”
“Can I call you Master?”
“…Pardon?”
“And if possible, I’d like you to speak casually to me from now on.”
“Well, that’s not a difficult request, but why ‘Master’ all of a sudden?”
Because I feel like I’ll keep making mistakes otherwise, and part of me just wants to go back to how things were.
“…I’ve always had a bit of an admiration for Taoism and the Mount Hua Sect. So, you’ll be the Master of my heart.”
“And why do you want me to stop using honorifics?”
Because I want to correct the regrets of the past.
“It makes me sad because it feels like you’re keeping your distance, even though we’ve known each other since before the summer break.”
“What if Seol-i gets annoyed if I speak casually?”
Is there any reason to be annoyed just because a stranger suddenly talks to me?
“Why would I be upset if a stranger spoke casually to me?”
“You really hate it, don’t you?”
“I don’t hate it, but honestly, it’s still a bit awkward.”
Master let out a small chuckle.
“Everything you said, except for the part about Seol-i, was a lie.”
Well, honestly, I didn’t think these excuses would work, but she was the type of person who would nod along even if she knew it was a lie.
“Yes—no. Sure, shall we do that?”
“Aren’t you going to press me on the lies?”
“Everyone lives with secrets. As a practitioner of the Way, how could I rebuke someone for a lie that holds no malice? No, I won’t rebuke you.”
Right, this was the kind of person she was.
“And this might sound a bit strange, but actually, I’ve wanted to be friendly with you since the first time I saw you.”
…You did? I didn’t know that.
Come to think of it, in the 1st Timeline, she had approached me very familiarly from the very first meeting.
She had walked up to me upon our first encounter and said, ‘Hey! You there with the grumpy face! Why don’t you try learning the sword from me?!’
“Hmm, but this is simpler than I thought. Honestly, when you suddenly suggested a bet, I thought you’d ask for something huge.”
“Like what?”
“Since you seem to like women, I thought it might be my turn this time. I’m fairly confident in my looks, after all.”
“…It’s sad that things have gone so far that I can’t even claim it’s a misunderstanding.”
“It’s fine. Taoism is actually quite positive toward sexuality. It’s famous enough that people associate Taoism with Sexual Alchemy.”
“Master.”
“Oh, you really are calling me Master. What is it, junior? No, disciple?”
…I’d prefer it if you called me by my name, but I’ll work on that gradually.
“This isn’t a favor, but a proposal. Do you have any interest in running a dungeon with me?”
“…A dungeon? Just the two of us?”
“No, I’m planning on taking a few more people. I’ve obtained some good information.”
“Honestly, I’m not really feeling it…”
Even in the 1st Timeline, she helped people until the moment she died, but she never really wanted to go into dungeons.
Did she say it was because she feared that possessing material things or anything with a physical form would create lingering attachments?
She was likely hesitating now for the same reason, but it didn’t matter.
Once this dungeon run was over, your god-awful disease would be cured, and you’d be able to have all the attachments and greed you wanted.
I was going to fetch the spirit medicine to treat your Mana Stone Disease.
“…Hmm, alright. Shall we go once, to commemorate the forging of our master-disciple bond?”
In truth, I had calculated that she would accept if I brought it up at this timing.
I was certain she wouldn’t refuse a request from a junior who had just settled a favor simply—creating a sense of psychological debt—and was now showing friendliness.
Conversely, if I didn’t do it this way, she wouldn’t go to a dungeon at all.
It might be a bit underhanded, but please bear with me since it’s for your sake, Master. Okay?
Meanwhile.
Facing his smile full of goodwill, Lee Ha-ru was struggling to suppress the laughter that threatened to leak out.
‘Now then, let’s see what our junior—no, disciple—is up to.’
It was because she had decided to play along, even though she had a rough idea that something was up.
* * *
Mana Stone Petrification, or Mana Stone Disease.
It was the illness Master suffered from, an incurable disease for which there was no known cure in the current era.
It was a condition where one was born with a vast amount of mana, but that mana became excessive. No matter how much was consumed, it would slowly accumulate in the body, causing it to gradually harden. It was a horrific disease where the body slowly petrified, starting from places where mana gathered most, such as the mana circuits, the heart, and the dantian.
Ultimately, the sufferer would turn into a massive lump of mana stone, or in extreme cases, become something that continuously spewed mana like a dragon vein.
However, as gruesome as the symptoms were, I didn’t care because it could be cured. The most terrible thing about this disease was that the Elixir—the panacea of fantasy clichés—didn’t work on it.
The Elixir. The essence of alchemy and a treasure of life.
Depending on the ingredients, it could be used as a fortuitous encounter to permanently increase physical abilities, or it could boost regenerative powers enough to restore lost limbs.
However, the principle of the Elixir lies in enhancing natural healing power and returning the unnatural to a natural state.
The reason it can reverse most physical disabilities is based on the setting that those states are “unnatural” compared to the original state.
But that damn Mana Stone Disease is caused by mana that a human cannot handle, yet for some reason, the body perceives that state as “natural.”
It recognizes the condensation and crystallization of mana as a natural state as well.
I don’t know what the criteria for that judgment are, but for that reason, drinking an Elixir has no effect; in fact, there are times when it even accelerates the progress of the petrification.
It truly was a mind-boggling disease, but fortunately, I knew a few ways to treat it.
First, the simplest treatment was to drain all the mana and then burn out the dantian and mana circuits.
The point was to turn the body into one that could no longer generate mana.
Next, there was a method of sucking out the mana using an artifact that forcibly consumed it.
This method was somewhat more realistic, but since it would weaken her combat power, there was a high probability Master wouldn’t accept it. Ultimately, the fatigue on the body would become even more severe, so the final outcome wouldn’t change much—it would just be a way to buy time.
Now, finally, there was the safest method I had found.
It was a way to forcibly change the constitution itself using a certain object.
In the 1st Timeline, when I was kidnapped and tortured by heroes, my mana circuits were completely ruined. Unable to meet Seo-ha, I was on the verge of death.
Well, after that, the heroes decided they couldn’t get any information out of me and dumped me in a dungeon they used as an execution ground. But instead, I found a fortuitous encounter in that dungeon—that’s how the story goes.
If I could borrow the power of the object sleeping in that dungeon, I would be able to cure Master’s disease.
Of course, there were a few very minor problems with going to that dungeon.
But as with everything in life, there was a way to solve them.
“For those reasons, I’m planning to enter a dungeon, and I’d like your help.”
“Cadet Kang So-hyun. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, so I’m quite tired. I think I misheard you. Could you say that one more time? Where did you say you were going…?”
The Chairperson shook her head, denying my words for some reason, but that didn’t change reality.
“You know the place called one of the three hells for superhuman criminals, along with Alcatraz. The Labyrinth of Change: Labyrinthos.”
“…Yes, unfortunately, I didn’t mishear you. So, what exactly is the reason you want to voluntarily enter a hellhole for heinous criminals?”
“I know the future, so I’m going to fetch some things I need.”
“…I see.”
After hearing my words, she nodded with a serious expression and suddenly began writing on a piece of paper with a pen.
Seeing the quite impressive message, ‘If you are being blackmailed, tap your left shoulder twice,’ it seemed she was misunderstanding something again, but that wasn’t what was important right now.
“Ah, please don’t joke around.”
“I don’t know why a cadet is saying what I should be saying. It’s absolutely out of the question. No, it’s not even a matter of my permission. The Association would never allow it.”
“Oh? Then if the Association gives permission, will you give yours too, Chairperson?”
“That’s a different story. The fact that you’ve brought this up to me might mean you have a card to persuade the Association.”
Hmm, this is why quick-witted elves are a pain. This approach won’t work.
As for the Association, they’d grant permission for a search immediately if I just listed a few treasures inside the dungeon. If necessary, I could ask using the donation of holy water as a pretext, or in the worst case, I could even resort to blackmail.
In the first place, they only use it like a prison because of the rule that once you enter, you can’t easily get out. There was no reason to forcibly stop someone who wanted to go in of their own accord.
“…Cadet Kang So-hyun. You probably know this, but that place is crawling with truly troublesome things. There will be plenty of surviving heinous criminals as well.”
“Pardon? I suppose so.”
Come to think of it, I wonder how Old Man Poison Mist is doing.
I also met that Wildcat bitch and that Con Artist Thief bastard there.
I still vividly remembered how they gave me such a hard time at first, but later, when I destroyed the dungeon and escaped, they were all trembling and begging me to take them as subordinates.
“I’m saying it’s not a place to be approached with such a light attitude. Is there really a fortuitous encounter that can only be obtained there?”
“Well, yes.”
“And you have a proper way to escape?”
“You know I wouldn’t say I’m going in if I didn’t have that.”
“…If you aren’t being blackmailed, is it unrelated to that this time?”
…Hmm? This doesn’t sound like she’s worried about me.
“No, never mind. What nonsense am I saying in such a serious situation? Anyway, I have absolutely no intention of allowing it.”
She was very firm, but unfortunately, I was confident I could overturn those words.
There’s no such thing as “never” in this world!
“Labyrinthos doesn’t just have criminals. There could be people who were framed or those who just got caught up in it.”
“…What are you suddenly talking about?”
“And perhaps stolen items could have been swept in along with the criminals.”
“Stolen items all of a sudden… why are you telling me this…?”
“The Divine Bow and the treasure that elves hold so dear. I believe they’ve been missing for quite some time?”
“…Are you saying they are inside there?”
The Chairperson asked me back with a look of shock.
I didn’t answer and just gave a thin smile, but that was as good as an answer.
That Con Artist Thief bastard bragged about it so much that I still remembered it.
He said it was the second most difficult item he had ever stolen.
The Branch of Yggdrasil, an Elf relic, and the Bow of the King.
They were treasures that were likely still rotting in that thief’s possession inside Labyrinthos.
There was no way the Chairperson, a High Elf, could ignore this.
“…No, still, I can’t. No matter how great the treasure, I cannot gamble a cadet’s life.”
Ta-da, but there’s no such thing as “never.”
Wow, honestly, I thought she’d be so blinded by this that she’d agree to send me, but she’s holding out?
Hmm, there are many things that could be called fortuitous encounters and many useful artifacts, but is there anything else that could sway the Chairperson’s heart more than that?
“…The only other Elf-related item that guy has is some diary.”
“…What?”
“Ah, no. I heard information that the guy who stole the Elf treasures… happened to steal a diary as well.”
“…Are you certain?”
“Pardon? Yes.”
Well, I heard it from the man himself, so it’s certain.
“I’m going too.”
“Pardon?”
“Instead of giving permission, I said I will go as well to ensure the cadet’s safety.”
“The, the backlog of work…?”
“I will leave it to the Doctor and Professor A-ram.”
“If you need the diary, I can just get it for you…”
“No, I must go. If you were to accidentally see the contents, I would have to become your enemy.”
…No, holy shit. What exactly did that bastard steal? Why is she suddenly so enthusiastic when she didn’t even react like this to the symbols of the Elves?
“I am going too…!”
…Well, I did persuade her, so I guess it’s fine.
“Then let’s do that.”
It wasn’t in the plans, but it should be fine.