Eastern Labyrinth (6)
Tuk. Degurrr.
A mana stone the size of a human head rolled right to my feet, bouncing off shards of ice. Bigger than any I'd ever laid eyes on.
Swoosh—.
The chains reverted to shadows, and Zepeto's spread-out formulas faded into the ether.
"...Hoo."
Exhaustion hit me like a wave. I'd never squeezed every last drop of mana out of myself like this before, so the fatigue crashed down hard.
"Evel, good work."
"Yeah. Kinda... tired."
Evel nodded faintly, her face paler than usual. She'd scraped the bottom of her mana reserves just like me, so no wonder she was wiped.
I gave her head a light pat, then bent down to scoop up the mana stone from the floor. It had real weight to it. The core from a gatekeeper boss ruling the tail end of the third layer. This thing alone would cover the mana stones I'd fed Dusty earlier several times over. Hell, we'd turn a profit.
I had no idea why a beast like this was farming newbies down here, but labyrinths were full of these irrational traps, or so they said.
"Ah, aaaah...!"
"W-We survived...! We really survived!"
From beyond the shattered ice, groans echoed out. The mercenaries, tension finally broken, collapsed in place clutching their dented shields.
"Urgh, hack! Feels like every bone in my body's crushed... "
"B-Big sis... I really thought I was done for... "
The mercs rolled on the ground, moaning. They'd pushed themselves hard, no doubt. Taking that brute's full charge head-on? Not cracking a bone was a miracle. Thanks to Zepeto's grace, probably.
After the exhaustion came euphoria. The thrill of pouring everything you had into scaling a mountain. Sure, we'd killed plenty of monsters before, but they were all showy weaklings without the Minotaur's raw power.
And above all, the rewards. That was the key.
"Kal, get up. We gotta check the back."
"R-Right!"
We headed to the deepest part of the temple where the Minotaur had charged from. Thick darkness hung between massive stone pillars. At the very end, in the spot where the beast had crouched, a crude stone altar came into view.
And atop it, a battered iron box sitting plain as day.
Risk and reward went hand in hand. We'd overcome an off-spec threat unfit for the second layer and claimed the spoils.
I grabbed the latch without hesitation and flipped the lid open.
Click—.
"...Whoa."
A short gasp escaped me as I peered inside. Dust-covered velvet. Piled high on it: fist-sized mana stones filling the box. A dazzling feast of shimmering blue.
Glancing over, it looked about the same number as the ones in the estate vault last time. At least ten gold coins' worth, minimum.
"Insane."
The words slipped out unfiltered. Better than some vague artifact or gear—pure mana stones were the most reliable, versatile payout in this game.
And unlike the scraps Dusty had gobbled earlier, these were top-tier in size and purity.
"Gasp...! B-Big sis! Wh-What the hell is all this?!"
Kal, who'd followed me, sucked in a breath and gawked. No surprise—with a fortune like this staring him down.
"Worth the grind, huh?"
This made feeding Dusty feel like pocket change. I picked out the three biggest, heaviest stones from the box and tossed them to Kal.
"Wha—?!"
"I'll cut you a generous share of mana stones. And like I said, the loot off those corpses is all yours."
"B-Big sis...!"
Kal's eyes welled up, touched. Give and take—that was me. They'd tanked that monster head-on; they deserved this much.
Kal hugged the stones to his chest and bowed at a sharp ninety degrees.
"Loyalty! This Kal swears he'll drop dead on command from here on out!!"
"Make it real—no faking."
I tossed back lightly, then swept the rest of the mana stones into my bag. His over-the-top flattery wasn't half bad anymore.
"Wiped out. Let's rest a bit before we head out."
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Might not have any magic left."
Evel and I plopped down on the floor. Pushing that hard made the exhaustion brutal to shake off.
As we caught our breath, the fight replayed quick in my head.
Hmm...
Honestly, I'd always figured Evel and I were better off solo. With Dusty, our firepower was plenty.
But this Minotaur fight changed that. To land the killing blow, someone had to buy time by tanking that brute-force assault upfront.
I eyed the mercs, whooping in glee.
...Not bad.
Sure, Kal and his crew weren't powerhouses. Without my triple buffs, they'd have been mincemeat on the first hit.
But that capitalist straightforwardness, that gritty tenacity to grind through fights on sheer spite? It grew on me.
Running them as a temp party from now on... might work.
I was loosening my stiff muscles with idle thoughts like that when—
Rumble—!!
The whole temple shook.
"Wha—?! B-Big sis! Rocks falling from the ceiling!"
"The Minotaur dying collapsed the space...!"
The massive sealed stone door creaked open. At the same time, the ground beyond where the Minotaur emerged crumbled away.
"Move! We'll get buried alive!"
I shot up, but the quakes buckled my legs. Evel wobbled too, knees giving out.
"We'll carry you!!"
Kal and Olsen rushed over, grabbing us and hauling us up. Supported by them, the group dodged collapsing boulders by a hair, bolting out the open stone door.
"Gah! Huff, heave...!"
Crunch!! Boom!!
No sooner had we escaped than the temple caved in behind us, spewing dust.
We hacked through the grit, checking everyone. All safe. And the mercs had grabbed every pack and bag on the way out. Impressive.
"Agh, still didn't strip the corpses...!"
Okay, not everything. But prioritizing us in that chaos? Worth extra stones later.
I was brushing dust off my clothes when—
"What the—someone made it out?"
"Whoa, actual survivors."
Voices from the thick dust cloud. Silhouettes emerged one by one as it thinned: five in total. Sharp weapons in hand, worn leather armor, feral eyes—the classic back-alley thug vibe.
They moved quick, encircling us in a semicircle.
"Figured no one who went in was coming back, so we were watching from outside. Saw the ruins collapse and came to check."
The leader smirked as he spoke. His gaze locked on me and Evel, slumped and spent.
"But you look rough. Mages can't even stand."
"Dunno what you nabbed, but those bags look fat."
Shing.
The men grinned viciously, weapons trained on us. Obvious. Hyenas eyeing drained survivors, no matter what went down inside.
Not shocking. Labyrinths meant conflicts like this: greed, deception, betrayal, plunder.
"You fucking bastards...! Get out of the way!"
Kal gripped his axe tighter, planting himself in front of me. Yan and Olsen flanked him, radiating menace.
"Haha. Gonna protect those girls? After seeing your state?"
"Shut it! Move or I'll split your skulls!"
Kal snarled. He looked solid enough that I started seriously considering that party idea.
But then.
"Hey, brothers. Looks like we're all in the same grind. No need to die for a payday, right?"
"Huh?"
"Those girls are tapped out—can't even breathe right. We'll loot 'em, cut you a clean half. Deal?"
"........."
Greed, deception, betrayal, plunder. Dust rose slow from the ruined temple. Scorching sun pierced through gaps.
Silence. Choking dust and stillness. Someone swallowed hard.
"We got five, you got three. You're beat to hell besides. Wanna die like dogs, or walk with easy coin? Do the math."
Lies, of course. They just didn't want a scrap with Kal's crew while they had strength left. No real half-share, and they'd knife us the second we relaxed.
We all knew it. Kal knew. They knew.
The poison and deceit wrapped in that shallow offer.
But the power gap and the sweet illusion of bloodless survival clouded judgment.
Kal's broad back in front of me stiffened. I watched him coolly.
"........."
He glanced back at me. Our eyes met; his pupils quivered faintly.
Essence. See the core.
Third-rate punks scraping by robbing clueless newbies on layer one. That was Kal's truth. Weak to the strong, bullying the weak, drooling over pocket change. Bottom-feeder life.
Was he evil? Who knows.
In this medieval fantasy where wrist-slashing a bread thief leads to public hanging, judging good and evil by modern standards was pointless. In a labyrinth? Pointless and a luxury.
So, evil or not, I judged only by what passed between us.
First meet: a dumb layer-one pickpocket fumbling my wallet.
Then: a groveling porter and guide.
But against that overwhelming Minotaur? He held without breaking.
Temple collapsing? First to haul legless me and Evel out.
So, no need for long speeches.
"Kal, you know it's all bullshit, right?"
I just gave him the chance.
My calm voice made his shoulders twitch again. Conflicted back. His eyes flicked between slumped me and the heavy bags, then to the five blades glinting at them.
Then.
Shh.
Kal slowly, very slowly, lowered his axe. Yan and Olsen twisted their shields toward the floor in sync.
"...Half. Straight split?"
The hyena leader grinned wide at Kal's low rumble.
"Obviously. We ain't keen on bleeding for nothing either."
The deal was anticlimactic. Kal glanced back at me. In his eyes, me and Evel were just drained, easy prey.
The face that had teared up vowing undying loyalty now weighed survival and scraps coldly.
"........."
I get it. Barely surviving one brush with death, only for another threat? Human nature to waver.
That's how we're wired.
So I.
Watched them join the other side, weapons now on us.
"Not too late, Kal."
One more chance. No need to spell it out—I liked these guys.
"Sorry 'bout this."
Kal's reply was curt. He slowly blended into the hyena pack.
"Kahaha! Smart move—who'd side with dying bitches?"
Hyenas slapped his shoulder, cackling. Kal spat and shoved the mana stones I'd given deep into his pouch.
"Big sis or whatever—gotta live first."
He glared at me, forcing a sleazy sneer across his face. Like he was cutting ties.
"...Time to read the room, kid. What're you gonna do here, mana-dry mage flapping your gums?"
"Kal."
"Kal? Crawling now? Hey, be grateful we're letting it end here after nearly dying covering your ass."
Abuse poured from the mouth that called me "big sis" moments ago. Shallow bond tied by coin—could snap anytime.
Dust swirled away in the distance. Under the blazing sun, cool sneers scattered.
"Kahaha! Man's got a mouth on him!"
"Fuck yeah! That sack—full of mana stones? We hit the jackpot."
"Bags alone ain't enough? Let's split the girls fair."
Social Darwinism. Labyrinth truth, plain as day. Plunder common, murder routine. Wilds where strong eat weak.
Flip sides to the strong—that was virtue here.
"Yo, Kal bro! This brat ain't getting it."
"Why don'tcha educate her? Uhaha!"
Parched earth, shimmering heat haze. Long shadows stretched; dark silhouettes stared.
"........."
"........."
Prodded by hyenas, Kal, Olsen, and Yan stepped forward. To prove their worth.
Seeing those sharp tips aimed at me, I recalled inwardly.
Zepeto's last words. Meet people, clash, shatter, overcome—feel raw wounds and joys skin-deep.
I rose slowly from my spot. Still didn't grasp the full meaning.
But if this was the city's law.
At least I wouldn't be eaten or cling like them.
"Dusty, come out."
And darkness swallowed the desert haze. Even the midday sun's glare faded before the pitch black.
"Wh-What?! Can't see shit!"
"Fuck! She had mana left in that state!?"
"Gaaaaah! Wh-What is this!"
Screams rang out over it. Even drained of mana, I wasn't—Dusty was.
Chains lashed from the dark; red pupils flashed.
"B-B-Big sis! I must've gone money-blind for a sec!"
"Mercy! Aaaagh! My eyes!"
Kal and Olsen's screams. Flipping titles and attitudes again.
Funny thing. I'd just started liking "big sis."
Now? Hated it.
So I murmured low.
"Dusty, eat. All of them."
Swoosh—.
"Big sis! Big...! ......!"
"............! ...!"
Then they were gone.
Screams. Pleas. Terror-struck eyes.
I turned my gaze along the horizon, to the long shadow's end. The black silhouettes always watching from that same distance.
Somehow, they seemed a little closer now.