Day 82: The Labyrinth's Will
Day 82 of survival.
Yesterday's gains weren't insignificant by any means.
It hadn't quite pushed me to evolution, but all my stats had grown substantially.
Especially agility and durability—they'd already hit the rank cap.
Objectively speaking, evolution wasn't far off.
Mana's still stuck in place, though.
Barring the slight bumps from each evolution, it had never gone up on its own.
That was a real shame.
Maybe I should find a way to train it separately?
Mana being low hadn't caused major issues yet, but for the future, I needed to figure out how to raise it.
Proper high-rank monsters always had at least a couple magic skills, after all.
Guess I'll have to sit still and try meditating sometime.
I recalled the training methods the hunters had talked about back when I was a porter, plotting some vague future plan.
Not that I thought it'd work all that well.
...Which brings us to the real issue: the Labyrinth's Will.
There was no way to investigate that right now.
Not even during my porter days—or my twenty years as a human—had I ever heard the term.
If I had to guess, it was literally the will of the labyrinth itself.
The inexplicable hostility monsters held toward humans.
If the Labyrinth's Will was behind all that, everything clicked into place.
...Isn't this basically a monumental discovery?
If I'd figured it out as a human, I could've claimed a hefty reward, no problem.
Of course, proving it would've been impossible.
For starters, the Labyrinth's Will wouldn't have messed with me if I were human.
So, why does the labyrinth—its Will—hate humans...?
That was the million-dollar question, and I had zero clues.
I'd tossed around some guesses, but they all felt like forced fits—nothing crystal clear.
...Yeah, this one's gonna take time to unravel.
As long as it wasn't hurting me right now, I didn't feel like obsessing over it. Getting stronger was my only priority.
Shii─
I stretched lazily. The labyrinth's weather was clear as ever today.
Sunny 24/7, 365 days a year.
No clouds, no fog—just perpetual blue skies.
Even on days like this, hunters are dying somewhere out there.
I glanced up at the sky.
Where the ceiling should've been, a vivid blue expanse stretched instead.
And a blazing sun asserting its presence.
No one had a solid explanation for how skies, suns, and weather existed inside the labyrinth.
Everyone just shrugged it off as "labyrinth things."
I wonder if that hunter survived.
Shii───
I turned my gaze toward the forest beyond.
Yesterday's battlefield with the hunters lay out there.
Not that it mattered now, but I hadn't actually killed both of them.
I'd left the blinded one alone and slithered off.
It wasn't about granting another hunter's request.
By then, I'd already hit my goals—gaining experience and boosting stats. No need to finish off someone who couldn't fight back.
I just didn't want to torment a guy who could only cry helplessly.
Plus, my belly was full from devouring the other one.
Even with Predation and Gluttony, there were limits. I couldn't exceed my body's capacity.
He's probably dead by now.
Even without me finishing the job, his fate was sealed.
Losing comrades, wounded, blinded—in this labyrinth? No chance.
Unless he got insanely lucky. Like, one-in-a-million odds.
Say, if some passing hunters stumbled on him and rescued him.
Not that that's happening.
If this were the heart of the 18th floor, maybe. But this was the outskirts.
These hunters were the first in nearly a month. No random passersby here.
And even if he ran into others, no guarantee they'd be friendly.
The labyrinth was survival of the fittest.
Not just for monsters—for hunters too.
Rescue by strangers? A miracle.
But if he did get saved somehow. And they fixed his eyes. Would he come back to the labyrinth?
That piqued my curiosity.
A hunter who lost his eyes and comrades, got miraculously rescued, healed up, and dove back in.
Pure fantasy, but it stirred something in me.
If we crossed paths again...
He was blind then, so he'd never recognize me. But if he did somehow—what would he do?
Facing the enemy of his friends, directly or not—how would he react?
Impossible scenario, but imagining it fired me up.
Guess I'd fully become a monster (snake) after all.
In a university hospital in Seoul, a man lay in one corner of a six-bed ward.
His name was Yoon Myung-ho—the very hunter who'd lost both eyes to me in the labyrinth, alongside two friends.
His wounds were healed clean, probably with potions, but thick bandages wrapped his eyes.
Off-the-shelf potions couldn't restore lost eyes.
Not even most healers could manage it.
Only top-tier potions worth billions or high-rank healers stood a chance.
Yoon Myung-ho stared blankly out the window.
The heavy bandages blocked his vision, but he kept gazing anyway.
"How're you feeling?"
As he stared endlessly outward, someone approached and spoke.
A slender, feminine voice. Yoon Myung-ho's face turned slightly.
Still blind, but his heightened hearing pinpointed her location.
"...Who are you?"
A hoarse, exhausted voice leaked from his lips.
Drained and weak.
Seeing that, his visitor stepped closer.
Her short bob hair swayed lightly.
"I'm Kwon Je-na. I found you in the labyrinth and got you out. In simple terms, your 'benefactor'?"
Her casual tone drew an "Ah" from Yoon Myung-ho.
He hastily straightened up.
"R-right. Sorry for the late greeting. I heard the story... I should've come to you first..."
"No worries. I know your condition. And I didn't do it for thanks—just helping a fellow hunter."
"...Still, thank you. I survived because of you."
Kwon Je-na let out a curious "Hmm" as he bowed his head.
Her gaze lingered on him.
No eyes, but his sharpened senses picked up her piercing stare. He tilted his head puzzled.
Just as he opened his mouth to ask, she spoke.
"You really grateful?"
"...Pardon?"
"Didn't you think stuff like, 'Why'd you take so long?' or 'Why not sooner? If you'd come earlier, my comrades...' Or 'Why save me? Why not let me die with them?'"
"What're you...?"
"Never crossed your mind?"
Her calm question hung in the air.
Under her steady gaze, Yoon Myung-ho quietly shut his mouth.
Silent affirmation.
She chuckled softly.
He flinched.
"S-sorry. I shouldn't say that to my benefactor..."
"It's fine. Doesn't bother me. Just... everyone's so alike."
"...Alike? How?"
"I was the same. Not as bad off as you, but... I lost comrades, was dying, got saved by another hunter. Resented the hell out of him."
"......"
Yoon Myung-ho went silent, just staring blankly her way, lips pressed tight.
She shrugged lightly.
"Point is, no need to beat yourself up over resenting your savior. I did it too—everyone does."
"......"
"Oh, and don't be an idiot and try revenge on me. You couldn't pull it off anyway, and I'm not the one you want."
"...Did you?"
"Huh? Do what?"
"...Attack your savior. Sounded like your story."
His trailing voice made her pause, surprised, then chuckle.
She nodded casually.
"Yeah. Back in my dumb days. All sorted now, though. Thanked him properly, paid him back. We still hang out friendly-like."
"S-sorted how...?"
"Hmm... You're sharper than I thought. Yeah, you guessed right. I got my revenge clean. Or... still getting it."
"...Still? What does that mean?"
"Literal. My revenge is ongoing."
He tilted his head, puzzled. She continued lightly.
"My target's monsters. Labyrinth's full of 'em, and luckily, I'm a solid hunter. Keep hunting 'em—so revenge in progress."
"......"
He fell silent again.
Her breezy words landed heavy somehow.
She smirked at his fumbling mouth.
Glancing at the time, she crossed her arms.
"So, you planning to keep hunting?"
"...How could I?"
His hand drifted to his bandaged eyes.
He traced them bitterly, chuckling sadly for a while.
"Giving up revenge, then?"
"...With eyes like this? Can't even if I wanted."
"What if they heal? Then what?"
"......"
His face turned to her.
Her tone had shifted from casual to serious.
Realizing it wasn't idle chat, he spoke heavily.
"Jae-hyun and Jin-su... my comrades were friends for over ten years. We awakened around the same time, by chance..."
"......"
"Never imagined... We had talent, guilds scouted us... Never thought it'd end like this..."
"......"
His voice grew heated.
"...They weren't the type to go out so pointlessly...! More talented than me...! But...!"
"......"
"If I could... If only I could...! I'd get revenge─!"
He gasped raggedly, "Heuk... Huuk..."
Kwon Je-na, who'd listened quietly, opened her closed eyes.
Then grinned.
"Who're you getting revenge on?"
"...Monsters. Monsters."
Her quiet question met his perfect answer.
Her smile deepened.
"Good. You pass."
Her hand drifted to his eyes, satisfied.
A pure white glow gathered in her palm.
The warm mana pulse made him jolt.
His blank face turned to her.
She grinned confidently.
"You're lucky. Ran into our raid coming back from expedition, and I happened to be there—and you impressed me."
"Ah..."
"Rough road, but don't give up."
"Aaa..."
"Let me reintroduce: Kwon Je-na, raid leader of Galaxy Guild's 2nd Raid Team, S-rank hunter Kwon Je-na."
-Also doubles as a healer.
As she spoke flatly, the glow in her hand erupted brilliantly.
That day, Yoon Myung-ho regained his sight.
He wept and laughed endlessly.
"Raid leader."
"Yeah?"
"Why help him? He had talent, sure, but... no need for you to step in personally. Could've just treated him later with strings attached..."
"Reminded me of me."
After healing him and leaving the hospital, Kwon Je-na answered her waiting subordinate calmly.
Kwon Han-jo blinked blankly.
"Pardon...?"
"Plenty of talented hunters. Few actually get strong. No drive."
"......"
"Once you hit a decent rank, life's easy. Plenty to enjoy. Hunters—people—have limits to growth."
She climbed into the waiting car. Kwon Han-jo took the wheel quietly.
It pulled away smoothly.
"But drive changes that."
"......"
"His goal's revenge. Like mine... So he'll keep growing. For revenge..."
Kwon Je-na glanced out the window.
Clear blue skies. Not much different from the day she found Yoon Myung-ho collapsed and wailing in the forest.
Or the day young Kwon Je-na herself was saved.
"Watch him too."
-See how far he goes.
Kwon Je-na—one of Korea's fifteen S-rank hunters—said so.
She closed her eyes quietly after.
Recalling old days, she fell silent.
Her subordinate Kwon Han-jo didn't press her.