The Clown's Farewell Evolution and Corpse Discovery
Even if it evolved, there was a chance the clown's curse wouldn't disappear. To prepare for that possibility, everyone held back one evolution ticket so they could all say their goodbyes. After all, once it entered the evolution state, it wouldn't be able to bid farewell to the clown.
Time passed, and the clown finally completed its evolution and revealed itself. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario—having to say goodbye—was avoided. The curse that had possessed the clown... no, the Necro Puppeteer, was gone.
For reference, my severed arms—which the clown had preserved with its superpower to prevent decay and connected via nerves—were still intact. The clown had only evolved, not died.
"Now, time to pick the next one to evolve..."
I scanned the monsters gathered in the Central Chamber.
I'd originally planned to use the evolution tickets on Jellyfish-002 and Melody Fox. But due to an unexpected accident, I'd used one on the clown, so now I had to choose just one of them.
"The candidates are Jellyfish and Melody Fox for now."
First, I explained it to the other monsters who hadn't made the cut. Jellyfish was one of the first ones I tamed, and it was the only one from that early group that hadn't evolved yet, so I wanted to give it priority. As for Melody Fox, I figured that if it evolved, it could help even more with the others' evolutions later.
Once I'd laid out the reasons step by step, the ones who looked a bit disappointed at first gradually started nodding in understanding.
My job was done. "You two discuss it and decide who goes next."
I left the final choice to them. Jellyfish and Melody Fox, their heads fixed in place, flicked their eyes sideways to glance at each other. After eyeing one another for a while, they cautiously closed the distance and began whispering in small voices.
Their conversation dragged on. Seemed like they weren't reaching an agreement.
［Pii.］
—You go first.
［Kyuu.］
—No, you go first.
Something like that, probably. They didn't look like they were fighting, no matter how I saw it.
Our guesses were spot on. They were indeed yielding the evolution ticket to each other—pushing one another toward me right now.
The two shoved at each other to yield. Surprisingly, Jellyfish lost the strength contest. Pushed by Melody Fox, it tumbled forward.
［Pii?!］
Melody Fox must be surprisingly strong when it wants to be. Or maybe Jellyfish was pretending to lose.
Jellyfish glanced back at Melody Fox apologetically.
［Pii...］
［Kyuu! Kyuuu! Kyuaouuuu!!!］
My own interpretation: Don't apologize—just evolve already! Something like that.
Anyway, Jellyfish lost the shoving match and got the ticket. Next up: Jellyfish evolution.
Day 39 in the Labyrinth.
Jellyfish still hadn't woken. It was deep in slumber inside its egg, evolving. And this time, the egg's color was different again. Not golden like Black Magma Slime-003's, nor black like the Necro Puppeteer's—this one glowed red, enveloping Jellyfish.
Still a long way to go till evolution finishes.
I didn't just stand around staring at the egg. After assigning a few monsters to guard it, I got back to my own tasks.
"Iris. If you sense even a hint of danger, don't look back—just run."
—［Confirmed.］
Iris was heading into Passage 1 alone. Today, I planned to scout the place where I'd first dropped into this Ancient Labyrinth—the one I'd been putting off.
Honestly, after all this time, that giant skeleton monster had probably moved on. Still, better safe than sorry—I'd send only Iris to minimize risk.
As I focused on Iris navigating Passage 1, the jo-ryeokja started trickling into the broadcast.
Why's that guy's nickname like that? So long I thought it was someone new.
Ha Yu-mi, arriving late, commented on Pruru's nickname too.
Ha Yu-mi had no idea. Ellis wasn't exactly normal either. Sure, she was one of the few true heroes I'd acknowledged... but objectively, she was far from sane. Especially in battle—she turned into a total maniac.
Anyway, like Ha Yu-mi, I didn't like those nicknames either.
"Guys, change 'em back. Too long and messy."
Not long after I said that...
The jo-ryeokja changed their nicknames. They listened well.
Pruru and Mysti had gotten close, huh. Must've clicked at the meetup.
I tuned out the sudden chaotic nonsense in chat and refocused on Iris's view.
Iris had passed the narrow passage and entered a wide chamber—the exact spot where I'd first set foot in the labyrinth.
—［No danger.］
No giant skeleton monster. It had moved on.
Only then did I relax a bit.
—［Resuming exploration.］
Iris moved again. Then, amid piles of monster corpses...
...one particularly shredded body, unrecognizable, caught the eye.
"Iris, hold up."
—［Holding. Confirming.］
"See that one corpse up ahead, way more mangled than the rest?"
—［Corpse detected.］
Iris approached and zoomed in. It was the one.
"Bring it back when you return. Other corpses too, if possible."
—［Confirmed.］
If I brought that corpse back, I'd ask the Necro Puppeteer to turn it into a puppet.
For reference, the corpse's owner was the previous explorer: Min Hyung-seok.