Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Into the Labyrinth
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"Hah..."
I drew in a deep breath.
Wandering between damp stone walls, the scent brushing my nose was old mold and stagnant water.
Like stepping into the lungs of some chain-smoking beast, the acrid stench clawed its way down my throat.
This place was deep and pitch-black, without a single ray of light.
In the impenetrable darkness, torches mounted on the labyrinth walls cast faint lines of light, barely illuminating the path ahead.
In the heart of this labyrinth, whose location even I couldn't pinpoint, the thick gloom slowly eroded the minds of those trembling in fear.
The primal terror summoned by the darkness.
The threats of monsters leaping from nowhere and hidden traps.
And all the way to the source lurking in its depths.
Even the first layer you encounter upon entering the labyrinth was no place to take lightly.
Countless souls had ventured in carelessly and never returned to the surface, doomed to wander the labyrinth eternally.
But I caught my breath and pressed on, unperturbed.
'The air up here always feels so good.'
I reminisced about the past.
The countless threats of the labyrinth from my 99 regressions, and the abyss of despair awaiting at the end.
After repeating it time and again, seemingly endlessly, I had finally seen the story's conclusion.
Though I'd regressed once more, crossing into the triple digits felt less familiar now and more like tedium.
This darkness, which instilled unknown terror in others, was intimately familiar to me.
Compared to the filthy, suffocating lower layers, this was paradise of paradises.
The comfort was like my own bedroom—no contest. My mind settled into calm.
It was in that moment, etching this air and scenery deep into my chest once more.
'Well, that's that.'
I had plenty to do here, so I stopped dwelling on memories and focused on the task at hand.
'Alright, then. What to do?'
The old me, obsessed with conquering the labyrinth, would've bolted straight for the entrance to the next layer down—the upper layer.
People risked their lives entering the labyrinth for one reason: money.
They sought as many spoils as possible.
Monster hides, meat, mana stones, or hidden treasures.
The labyrinth brimmed with valuables to sell, but if you asked what topped them all, everyone would agree.
'Artifacts, obviously.'
Also known as magic items.
These rare treasures, said to grant special powers to their owners, were ancient relics whose value defied imagination.
And labyrinth conquests always revolved around these artifacts.
After countless regressions made the labyrinth feel like my backyard, I knew every artifact's location like the back of my hand.
Excluding those in spots requiring specific conditions or special qualifications, the rest were easy pickings. Once I got comfortable with conquests, I always prioritized heading to the upper layer.
But what about now?
Getting stronger? Sure, reclaiming my peak power mattered, but it wasn't the top priority.
Getting rich? As if.
A run or two through the labyrinth would set me for life.
Labyrinth conquest? Necessary, but bumped down the list.
I snapped my fingers to open my status window.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Affinity System accessed. System is locked. No current access permissions. The Affinity System I'd earned from the Lone Wolf achievement.
I couldn't access it yet, but the system itself revealed one crucial fact.
This world was based on a visual novel.
'Gotta get the girls' attention, no question.'
My instincts screamed it.
What I needed now wasn't labyrinth conquest—it was women. Not artifacts, but sweet events with the opposite sex.
So, Aren.
The first person you'd meet upon setting foot in Labyrinth City, presumed heroine. I had to befriend her.
Rush to save her from the peril threatening her life sooner than anyone else and earn her affection.
The plan was perfect.
All that remained was that one flawless step to execute it—and the proper preparations.
'Pretty sure it was around here.'
I groped my way through the maze.
A path I'd naturally memorized after endless repetitions.
Even in total darkness without a sliver of light, those memories guided me to my destination.
Phewing!
A sharp sound sliced through the air, striking my ears.
My body reacted on reflex. I snatched the arrow hurtling toward my head.
'Right on time.'
A rough welcome.
Firing first thing upon meeting? No manners whatsoever.
Actually, scratch that.
Correction: I'd intruded into their turf.
Like a homeowner's sharp response to a strange intruder.
'Here comes my tonic.'
The punching bags to toughen my resilience.
"Kek!"
In the labyrinth's settling darkness, the slick floor at my feet sent a creepy sensation crawling up.
Between the maze's damp, narrow walls, white eyes gleamed, accompanied by eerie whimpers.
Their forms were faint, but their silhouettes revealed their identity plainly.
Goblins
The perennial favorites whenever monsters came up.
You could find their kind outside the labyrinth too.
But these were different.
Short stature, green skin, big ears, and a vicious cruelty that preyed on the weak in packs.
That was the common goblin.
But the labyrinth stripped them down and remolded them.
Their skin paled to milky blindness, lusterless.
Their builds rivaled an adult man's—no slouching in intimidation just by standing there.
The manic hyperactivity of bouncing and cackling was gone, replaced by cold, emotionless movements.
In the pitch black where nothing was visible, they prowled without hesitation, like bloodthirsty hunters drooling foam as they closed in.
Those hollow eyes held no burning rage or gleaming lust.
Only a cold, simplistic will to crush the target lingered.
One, two—with every glance, more gray eyes multiplied, filling the area until toothy beasts encircled me.
Seeing them dig their own graves, I smirked in satisfaction.
"I've been waiting for you bastards."
Facing the top-layer monsters after so long, I beckoned them mockingly.
"Kkek!"
They roared back at my greeting.
Phewing!
Whoosh!
Wind grazed my ear.
A stinging pain, blood trickling down my cheek.
"Ow, that stings a bit."
I'd braced for it, but it soured my mood.
Getting tagged by trash mobs wasn't my style, but I'd endure here.
I rubbed the blood between my fingers.
Whish!
A low whoosh of wind.
A dull thud, and my vision flipped upward.
'Now that's got some kick.'
My legs buckled slightly, but I held firm.
'I see it.'
I'd done this countless times.
The patterns of these trash mobs I'd slaughtered endlessly were burned into me.
I knew exactly what they were going for—dodging was child's play.
'Perfectly predictable.'
So I repeated it.
The tightrope walk on the razor's edge, etching victory at the play's end.
"My turn now?"
I ducked my head and drove my fist forward with power.
Crunch!
A counterpunch landed.
Bones shattered, flesh pulped—the goblin's face caved in like a whirlpool.
Spurting blood from every orifice, it dropped its club and faceplanted.
Ptoo!
"Next."
"Keeek!"
Rumble!
Hooves thundering, kicking up dust as the horde charged.
I welcomed them with arms wide.
Crack!
The one grabbing my arm to twist—I reversed it, snapping its limb and hurling it away.
To the one lunging diagonally, a gut punch and knee strike sent it clutching its belly, tumbling.
"Keeek!"
"Where you think you're going?!"
I spotted a goblin eyeing an opening.
Dagger from my waist—plunged deep into its throat.
I pinned the death-rattling thing to the ground.
One by one, they bid farewell to the living world.
"Kerung!"
But undeterred by their comrades' deaths, they charged in fury.
Scratches from claws and teeth accumulated.
The wounds multiplied, eventually drenching my body in blood.
But no crippling blows that'd hinder movement—I kept my body intact, herding them.
As long as my stamina held, I could go all day.
In the blood-soaked battlefield, the one-sided beatdown continued.
Thud, crunch!
Smash and pulverize.
Pounded into formless dough.
More foes piled on the fallen, but just more sandbags.
Soon, a mountain of corpses rose—filthy, grotesque remnants beyond recognition.
Only then, after wiping out every goblin in the area, did the skill appear.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You faced enemies in the heart of their domain with severe injuries, steeling yourself for a desperate stand—and ultimately drove them all out, claiming victory. Conditions met. Skill acquired: Berserker's Fury. Achievement earned in the labyrinth, rewarded with a skill. I smiled in satisfaction.
'Great start.'
I'd gotten the skill I wanted.
With the enemies gone, I turned west.
By now, Aren and her party should've reached their destination.
And encountered it.
The souls slumbering in this labyrinth—the death craving life—would soon reach out for her group.
"Rotten stench on the wind."
Corpse smell carried by the breeze.
A foul, ominous odor rare on the top layer assaulted my nose.