The Eastern Labyrinth
People say the labyrinth is a treasure trove of mysteries. A vat of magic power brimming with mana concentrations incomparable to the outside world. Artifacts holding miracles from hundreds or thousands of years ago. Rare elixirs and magic stones impossible to even glimpse on the surface. Adorned with all sorts of wonders like these, yet debates about the labyrinth's true nature never cease. No one knows who made it, when, or why. It simply appeared one day, and people flocked to it like moths to a flame.
Those seeking to make a fortune and change their fate. Those craving power to grow strong. Even those desiring the miracles of the artifacts themselves. And here, two such moths. A pair of greedy girls who wanted to earn money, grow stronger with elixirs and magic stones, and claim artifacts to work miracles.
"Here you go. These are requests even a Wood-rank adventurer can handle smoothly in the labyrinth."
Evel and I picked up the parchments the guild master plunked down on the counter.
Request: Collect 30 handfuls of moss growing on the walls of the Eastern Labyrinth's 1st floor. Reward: 15 silver coins
Request: Collect fine soil from the floor of the Eastern Labyrinth's 1st floor. Reward: 10 silver coins
"……"
This was straight-up trash picking. Sure, I'd enjoyed that kind of game back in the day, but doing it for real hit different. Total reward: 25 silver coins. Three nights at a cheap inn cost 50, so this was dirt cheap by comparison.
Still, I tucked the parchments away without complaint. Money wasn't an issue right now anyway—this was just to raise our rank while dipping our toes into the labyrinth.
"Don't go too deep. Rearrangement is coming soon."
"Rearrangement?"
"Yes. The labyrinth periodically resets its structure and monsters."
According to the guild master, it went something like this: The labyrinth acted like a living organism, cyclically overhauling its terrain, traps, and ecosystem into something entirely new. But if you were deep inside when "rearrangement" hit? No one knew what happened. Not a single survivor had ever emerged.
"About two or three days left. Don't stay too long."
"Got it."
Two or three days was plenty. Today was just a test run to get the feel—no deep dives.
I nodded and turned toward the guild door with Evel, parchments in hand. That's when his voice came from behind.
"Oh, one more thing."
"The labyrinth is a lawless zone. Surface laws and security don't reach there."
"……"
"Monsters are scary, but in the end, the real threat is other people. Don't carelessly show your back to strangers. If you must team up, look for those wearing guild badges around their necks. They've at least passed basic verification."
Watch out for people. Classic, clichéd advice—and all the more timeless for it.
"Thanks for the tip."
I bowed my head and pushed open the door.
Our target: the labyrinth on the city's eastern outskirts. Called the beginner's labyrinth for its cheap entry fee. Rewards were meager, and it was crawling with lowlifes.
We hustled along and soon arrived. But the entrance wasn't what I'd imagined at all.
In the center of a neatly paved plaza floated a massive blue crystal, emitting a soft glow. Crowds of adventurers lined up before it, touching it in turn and vanishing in bursts of light.
"……What the hell."
A dry laugh escaped me. In my head, labyrinth entrances were dank, pitch-black caves or endless spiral stairs plunging into darkness. This? Some high-tech portal system?
I glanced around, wondering if I'd come to the wrong place. Rookies in cheap gear, merchants hawking overpriced junk to fleece them. Nope, right spot.
"Whoa… so cool, Iris. Right?"
"…Yeah."
No wonder debates raged over who built it. This screamed artificial.
With mixed feelings, I joined the end of the line. It moved fast—thanks to tight management—and soon it was our turn.
"Entry fee: 50 silver coins."
Tsk…
I clicked my tongue inwardly. Guild requests totaled 25 silver, but entry for two was a full silver coin. The math didn't add up at all. Yet the line was endless—must be decent side hustles, or everyone banking on a big score.
I handed over the silver from my pouch. The guard jerked his chin at the humming crystal.
"Touch the crystal. For exit, use the return stones in safe zones per floor. Next!"
"Let's go, Evel."
"Okay."
I pressed my hand to the blue crystal towering over me. Evel clutched my clothes and touched it too.
Hummm—!
Cold to the fingertips, then blinding light. My body floated like a rollercoaster drop, vision went white, plaza noise faded. Brief nausea later, I opened my eyes.
A vast cavern of jagged rock stretched before us. Other adventurers bustled about. Farther in, a large rectangular stone slab—folks touching it vanished with faint vibrations. That must be the return stone. Safe zone, then.
No pitch black despite the enclosed cave. Faint light seeped from walls and ceiling—unknown plants growing in cracks provided dim illumination. Not enough, though. I snapped my right fingers, igniting a flame spell.
Fwoosh!
"Whoa, bright."
"Better now."
A formula Zepeto left me. He'd given four total:
Barrier magic, life magic, purification magic, elemental magic—fire. All his favorites in life. I could mix and match them freely.
Fwoosh!
I snapped again at the rising flame. It balled up from my palm, then floated to hover near my shoulder. Combined with a barrier formula to keep it orbiting at a fixed distance.
Vision sorted. Now…
"Lemme see…"
I swung my leather satchel around. Planner that I was, I'd stuffed it full for this scouting trip.
"Here it is."
I pulled out the crumpled 1st-floor map from passing the guild entry test. Unrolling it revealed the layout at a glance.
Wonder if rearrangement makes maps useless? Sucks that this fresh one expires in 2-3 days.
Using the floating flame for light, I left the safe zone via a side path. Skirting the crowded center, human presence dropped off fast. Silence, dampness, and dripping water from the ceiling greeted us.
We wove through twisting passages and forks for a bit.
"Crap. I had the map upside down."
"Huh?"
We were lost.
With rearrangement looming, the labyrinth's 1st floor was nearly picked clean. Thousands of moth-like adventurers had swept through. Low-level monsters were long extinct, hidden rooms or lucky finds snatched by the quick. Deeper floors might yield something, but without the skill, folks just wandered empty-handed today too.
But in this greed-filled ecosystem, no one leaves empty. No monsters, no loot chests? Simple, primal solution: kin-slaying. Strip magic stones painfully gathered by others, or pocket change from entry fees. Best bang-for-buck on pre-rearrangement 1st floor.
"Goddamn it."
Mercenary Karl was one such. In the dim passage, he and two cronies trudged muddy floors with sour faces.
"Total bust today. Not one easy mark."
Brushing mud from his axe, Karl spat. They'd prowled back alleys all day for a handful of tiny magic stones from low monsters.
"Maybe hit near the exit, stab some random…"
As Karl leered his sleazy pitch, faint red light flickered from the opposite passage.
The trio froze. Two light footsteps approached—carefree, zero caution.
Silhouettes emerged in the glow: a black-haired girl in a robe, silver-haired girl glued to her side. Both young, baby-faced.
But Karl's eyes locked not on their youth.
The black-haired girl's back: a bulging satchel ready to burst.
Bingo.
Karl's muddy eyes gleamed.