Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Desperate Measures
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The labyrinth's passageway looked like the gaping maw of a black beast.
Will, a green-haired elf, gasped for breath as he sprinted madly through it.
‘They want me to kill myself and become a branch? To sacrifice myself for my people? Don’t make me laugh! How… how did I survive until now? Why did I crawl into this godforsaken Pit? Screw them! If I was going to die like this, I would’ve rather been caught and killed by the hunters on the surface! Dammit, why… why did I have to come all the way here to suffer like this…’
The breath caught in his throat, and a sharp pain shot through his legs, as if someone were stabbing his muscles with an awl.
‘Wild. Wouldn’t the Wild Tribe take me in? They wouldn’t refuse a decent elven warrior… No, that’s not right. If by some chance one of them knows how to handle barriers, I’ll be in deep trouble.’
The problem was that they might covet the ‘World Tree Branch’ an elf leaves behind in place of a corpse when they die.
This World Tree Branch was a valuable magical ingredient on the surface, but its true worth shone in the underground labyrinth of the Pit.
A barrier constructed with this branch could block those with malevolent intent, and that included the labyrinth’s tentacles.
In other words, if a few elves willingly sacrificed themselves, the rest could weather even the most brutal harvest season in safety.
‘Right. The Pure Tribe would be better. I hate relying on those damn insects… but at least they won’t have anyone with knowledge of barriers…’
Thwack!
Will’s thoughts were cut short. A tentacle shot out from the wall, piercing his left leg.
“Kgh…”
Having lived safely within the Elder Tribe’s barrier, Will had been oblivious to how unusual this harvest season was.
Perhaps if he had been a little more cautious, he might have wondered why Lara, the boss of the Elders, had to force him to be a sacrifice even after three of his brethren had already given their lives. But it was too late for regrets.
Before he knew it, another tentacle flew out and severed both his ankles.
“Aaargh—!”
Will screamed, his face a mess of tears and snot as he rolled on the ground.
His impossibly beautiful face was contorted in agony, and his lean, muscular body was caked in dirt that clung to his sweat.
‘No. I want to live. Please, please, I don’t want to die like this. I, I… have to return to the forest someday. To… my… my family… where…’
Another tentacle flew out and ravaged Will’s back.
His consciousness faded, his eyelids heavy.
Just then, about ten figures entered Will’s blurry, tear-filled vision.
‘Hu… mans?’
And just before Will’s life was extinguished, a pure white portal opened above his head.
* * *
After taking the Knowledge Pill, Lee Si-woo learned that there were three conditions for Predation.
First, the target must be of a race capable of wielding mana.
Second, the population of the Cell must not have reached its limit.
Third, the target must be in a life-threatening situation with an extreme will to survive.
When these three conditions were met, Barathrum would send a Predation message.
【A life-form available for Predation is nearby. Do you wish to proceed with Predation?】
Even while checking the tentacles’ locations with Danger Sense, Si-woo didn’t miss Barathrum’s vibration.
Thanks to the invisibility mode, he checked the message without worrying about others discovering Barathrum’s existence. A corner of his eye twitched.
‘I hope it’s a useful one this time.’
For Si-woo, the harvest season was both a crisis and an opportunity.
With his current limited power, meeting the three conditions for Predation wasn’t easy, but the harvest season was a different story.
During this period, there was no shortage of people pushed to the brink of death, fighting desperately to survive.
However, despite having opportunities to use Predation on humans and a few other monsters, Si-woo hadn’t even given them a second glance.
‘There are only four slots left in Barathrum’s Cell. Considering the mine’s output, it’s best to secure human resources as soon as possible… but as the Butler said, considering future value, indiscriminate Predation is forbidden.’
Having already benefited greatly from the tarantula’s Talent, Danger Sense, Si-woo had no intention of using Predation rashly.
Given the limitations on Predation, he had to fill every slot with the most useful individuals possible.
Of course, he wasn’t going to foolishly save the slots when his situation was so dire.
He just judged that he still had some leeway, having not used any artifacts yet and with the humans of the Pure Tribe to serve as sacrifices in his stead.
‘Oh? What’s this?’
As soon as he rounded the corner, Si-woo saw an elf with both ankles severed, crawling on the floor. A smirk twisted his lips.
‘Yes. Opportunity… always favors the one who waits.’
Confirming that the very race he had coveted most had appeared on his Predation radar, Si-woo tapped the confirmation button at the bottom of the message on Barathrum’s screen.
【Commencing Predation.】
A white portal appeared above the elf and began to greedily devour him.
Many in his group saw it, but Si-woo wasn’t particularly concerned.
With the harvest season’s cycle brought forward, he didn’t think anyone would suspect him over a single strange phenomenon like that.
Rumble.
As Si-woo was inwardly celebrating his acquisition of the elf, a sudden vibration spread through the entire labyrinth.
At the same time, a threat pierced his senses like an awl, and he let out a groan.
‘Damn… The tentacle spawns, which were usually limited to three spots at most, have increased by one.’
Si-woo let out a thundering roar.
“One o’clock, three o’clock, eight o’clock, eleven o’clock!”
Si-woo had clearly responded as calmly as possible, but expecting others to do the same was asking too much.
Fortunately, Rei and Martin understood his words and moved at once, but they only managed to block the attacks from one and three o’clock.
The tentacles from eight and eleven o’clock attacked a team member right next to Si-woo.
The member was dragged away by the tentacle as he lay prone on the ground.
A scream like a whimpering beast.
His fingernails, dug into the ground, broke precariously, leaving a trail of bloody marks in their wake.
Crunch.
With a final scream that seemed to tear through their eardrums, the team member’s body was torn limb from limb, scattering in all directions.
The thick scent of blood tickled his nose, making him dizzy. Si-woo shook his head lightly, forcing himself to stay focused.
The talkative Ewin stammered, his jaw trembling.
“Four at once? The number of spawn points is increasing? What is this… I’ve never seen anything like it! This has never happened before!”
Following Ewin’s scream, Rei spoke.
“Not only has the cycle been brought forward, but the pattern is changing too? At this rate… we’ll all die. Not just us, other races will have a hard time surviving too. What on earth… is the Master of the Labyrinth thinking, doing this…”
Si-woo’s eyebrows twitched as he overheard her unintentional murmur.
‘Master of the Labyrinth?’
His idle thoughts were brief. Seeing that even the elite of the Pure Tribe, who had been through thick and thin, were losing their composure, Si-woo snapped in an urgent voice.
“Everyone, snap out of it! If we stay like this, we’ll all… Kgh! Everyone, forward! Behind us! Six-way spawn in the rear! Run! I said, run!”
Si-woo shot forward, sprinting with all his might.
In the chaos, no one else had noticed, but his right fist was tinged with a copper hue.
It was the result of mineralization, thanks to Anetium’s diligent work in the mine.
Perhaps because of that?
Lee Si-woo’s physical abilities, now at level 5, had reached a considerable level despite his lack of mana.
By Earth's standards, he was probably at the level of an amateur athlete.
“He-help me…”
A few team members, frozen in panic, were torn to shreds by tentacles before they could even finish their words.
They were the ones who had shown excessive hostility toward Si-woo when Kyle died. Realizing they were Kyle’s loyal followers, Si-woo had intentionally placed them in the rear.
Although they possessed mana and were physically superior to Si-woo, their slow situational judgment and weak mentality…
And the worst possible formation, robbed them of any chance to utilize their superior physical abilities.
‘Where next? Where will they pop out from?’
Si-woo’s eyes darted back and forth like a pendulum, scanning the path ahead without a single blind spot.
“Three o’clock, seven o’clock, ten o’clock! Martin! Can you handle the one at three o’clock?”
“On it!”
As Martin shot towards three o’clock, the group’s path veered to the right.
A moment later, after Martin dealt with the tentacle, the group followed him like chicks following their mother.
Just then, an intense sense of danger washed over him.
Si-woo whipped his head around.
The left wall, which Danger Sense had deemed safe just seconds before, suddenly split open like a gaping maw.
He had wondered why only three spots had spawned despite the number increasing. It seemed it was for a delayed attack.
Screeeech!
A tentacle shot out with a shriek and lunged at Lee Si-woo.
‘Too late to draw my hawk and artifact, too late to dodge.’
For an ordinary survivor, the split second provided by Danger Sense would have been enough to dodge.
However, for Si-woo, whose physical abilities were inferior to those of the survivors, it was a difficult situation to escape unscathed.
His cold reason made the optimal decision for survival.
‘I’ll give it my arm.’
Si-woo thrust his left arm out to the side while shifting his weight to the right.
Considering the tentacle’s trait of blindly targeting the nearest flesh, he planned to use his left arm as bait to ensure his survival.
But something was strange.
Instead of piercing a hole in his left arm, the tentacle wrapped around it gently, like a pet snake.
The sensation was so bizarre that, for a moment, Si-woo thought the tentacle’s movement was like a puppy tugging at his sleeve, urging him to come along.
Swish!
A silver trajectory flashed past, slicing through the tentacle wrapped around Si-woo’s left arm.
Rei, who had severed the tentacle with her dagger, asked in a worried tone.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Finally snapping back to his senses, Si-woo nodded.
“…Thank you. I’m fine.”
Rei let out a sigh of relief and said.
“For a tentacle to wrap around your arm and you’re still fine… you really have incredible luck.”
Her words made Si-woo replay the last few moments in his mind.
Though it was just an instant, it had been more than enough time for the tentacle to sever his arm.
But there wasn't even a scratch?
Was this really possible with luck alone?
‘Or maybe…? No, forget it. It’s foolish to make reckless assumptions about something uncertain. I’ll look into it more later.’
Si-woo’s untimely reverie didn’t last long.
Rei gently patted his shoulder.
“Si-woo, I understand you’re frozen with shock, but we need to move quickly. Not only are the tentacle spawn points increasing, but they’re starting to spawn with a time lag. It’s too dangerous to delay.”
As she said, the situation was deteriorating to an unmanageable degree.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the entire group was wiped out.
He had to make a decision.
“Boss Rei, how long does the harvest season last?”
“No one knows. The Master of the Labyrinth decides when the harvest season begins and ends, and no one knows what he’s thinking.”
Hearing the phrase ‘Master of the Labyrinth’ from Rei’s lips again, Si-woo’s eyes glinted.
It seemed that the operator who respawned monsters in the labyrinth or used the harvest season to reduce the population was referred to as the Master of the Labyrinth.
Si-woo tapped his chin with his index finger and asked.
“Then what should we do? Do you have a plan in mind, Boss?”
“…I don’t. We just… have to endure like this…”
Si-woo gave a bitter smile at her irresponsible answer.
“No plan? Boss Rei, you’re the leader of this tribe. But you say there’s no plan and that enduring is the best we can do? That’s not right.”
Incensed by Si-woo’s painful criticism, Rei shot back.
“Then what do you want me to do? We don’t even know why the harvest season started ahead of schedule, so how am I supposed to know when it’ll end? Or should I just spout nonsense and lead all my members to their deaths? You’re the one who shouldn’t speak so carelessly when you know nothing!”
Si-woo spoke in a calm, placating tone, as if reasoning with her.
“I know it’s difficult. I understand. But Lady Rei, a leader, at the very least, shouldn’t carelessly utter negative words like ‘there’s no way’ or ‘I don’t know.’ The fate and morale of the team hang on your every word.”
His tone was gentle and mild, but his direct words relentlessly poked at her sore spots. Furious, Rei gritted her teeth and said.
“…If you’re so smart, why don’t you come up with a plan?”
As if he had been waiting for those words, Si-woo replied instantly.
“I will. What’s the closest tribe to our current location?”
“That would be the Elder… Don’t tell me. You’re planning to go there now? Don’t! You think those brutes will help us? We’d be lucky if they don’t try to kill us…”
In Si-woo’s mind, Rei wasn’t usually this foolish.
If she had thought a little deeper, she would have realized his intention in bringing this up.
But perhaps the desperate situation had backed her into a corner?
Her judgment was clouded as if by fog, and her mind was working as slowly as a turtle.
“I have the ability to sense the tentacles’ presence, so negotiation is possible, and I have artifacts to prevent the worst-case scenario. So let’s go. No matter how hostile their reaction is, it’s not like things can get any worse for us, right?”
Rei bit her lower lip for a moment, then nodded in resignation.
In fact, it would be ridiculous for her to reject Si-woo’s proposal now, after claiming she had no plan.
No, on some level, she was even grateful to Si-woo for taking some of the heavy responsibility off her shoulders.
The truth was, everything surrounding her right now felt overwhelming.
“…You’re right. I guess since we’ll all die at this rate, things can’t get any worse. Besides, the elves have a barrier, so the tentacles… Ha, was I really that stupid? Hearing you say it, your words make sense. That’s right. We have to go now. To the Elder’s territory.”
Muttering to herself, Rei’s eyes sparkled as she lifted her head.
Perhaps her mind had cleared like the sky after dark clouds have passed?
The more she thought about it, the more Si-woo’s alternative seemed like a brilliant idea.
Rei glanced at Si-woo out of the corner of her eye, licking her lips.
‘Did he know the elves had a barrier? No, he couldn’t have, his understanding of this world isn’t that deep yet… Ah, whatever. What’s good is good, so for now, let’s keep seeking his opinion. From the looks of it… he seems to be more capable than me.’
Si-woo was inwardly relieved by Rei’s non-hostile attitude, despite him overstepping his bounds to take control of the situation.
He was pleased that Rei, as someone who had led a tribe for years, knew how to be reasonable.
‘A wise woman, thankfully. Then again, if she were foolish, she wouldn’t have been able to survive in this harsh place as the head of a tribe… More importantly, the problem is the Elder tribe, isn’t it? Hmm, I don’t know if they’ll accept us there.’
The thought of asking for help from the Elders, who were not friendly to humans, gave Si-woo a headache, but he wasn’t overly worried.
He would simply repay kindness with kindness, and malice with malice.