Chapter 324
Chapter 324
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 324
Chapter Title: Wages of Sin #1
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"Yes, you made a wise choice. This area has the monster forest ruled by Echidna, so the sun sets quickly. If you stay in the forest like this, you might get attacked by monsters."
"...."
"Camping in this forest is far worse than a labyrinth with a roof and walls. And I'm the forest keeper, so you can trust me on that."
"...."
"It's called a labyrinth, but we've secured a base up to the midpoint, so it's under perfect control. No dangers at all."
The man who called himself the forest keeper chattered nonstop as he led the way. He opened his mouth as if refusing to allow even a moment of silence.
That was typical of small folk, though. Nymphs were like that, and so were dwarves—they all loved to talk.
"Oh, I haven't properly introduced myself to you all. I'm Talis, a Grade 8 administrator in the Delphi Administrative Office's outer division, the forest warden. Ever heard of the position?"
It seemed like a question, so I gave a casual answer.
"No."
"Figured as much. It's one of those obscure minor posts that nobody really gets unless you hear the details. No matter how hard you work, no one notices, and even if you slack off, it doesn't show."
Slack off without anyone noticing?
Even a low-level bureaucrat was still a civil servant. It was a stable job with steady, if modest, pay—being able to goof off sounded like a huge perk.
As I mulled that over, the forest keeper who'd named himself Talis continued.
"That's why I can do some nice side gigs. At night, I moonlight as a tour guide for this labyrinth, you could say."
Hippolyte, who'd been listening silently until then, spoke up.
"Aren't civil servants forbidden from taking side jobs?"
"Sure, but we keep it quiet. Without some extra work, it's tough to make ends meet, so they turn a blind eye to a little moonlighting. Anyway, we're almost there."
This guy was leading us to Pluto's Labyrinth. His sudden talk of side gigs and tours felt plenty suspicious, putting me on edge.
He'd framed it like charity, but my rule was that no such thing as free goodwill existed in this world.
Merchants in goodwill's mask were often chatty like him.
Still, I'd followed because of what he'd said at the end about the black-haired monster.
Rustle, rustle.
After trekking through what seemed like deserted mountain paths and trails, we spotted torches glowing under the dim evening sky.
A stone building of odd design nestled among the trees. Two men stood by its black entrance, eyes glinting under the torchlight as they gripped swords and spears.
I wondered if they were guards for the forest, but they didn't look like regular soldiers.
Their outfits were mismatched, their arms varied—mercs or bandits would fit the bill perfectly.
Spotting us, they spoke first.
"Forest keeper, who's trailing behind you?"
"Folks I found lost in the woods. They looked like they were in danger, so I brought 'em here. Got food and a place to wash up?"
"That goes without saying. Oh, but before you go in, sign this."
The guards held out a small placard toward us. A leather scroll hung from a broad wooden board.
It laid out rules like never mentioning what you saw inside to the outside world.
And at the bottom, a skull emblem stabbed at my eyes.
"Deathros—"
"Oh, you know this seal?"
A snake slithering between skulls. The mark of Deathros's human hunters.
No need to ask how I knew it.
They were still operating around here.
As I sank into a strange mood, the mercs who looked like Deathros private security continued.
"If you break those rules, Deathros's pursuers will hunt you down day and night to collect the wages of sin."
They let out low, gloomy chuckles. Luna piped up, curiosity piqued.
"What's the wages of sin?"
"Death, obviously. Anyway, welcome. Come on in, and here's hoping we meet again, ladies. Speaking of which, that Samaritan..."
The men flicked their eyes over Luna and Hippolyte before settling on me.
"Have we met somewhere?"
They turned to me with suspicious, probing tones.
I wondered if these were guards from Deathros's arena two years back.
If so, they'd remember me. But I didn't want trouble yet, so I shrugged indifferently.
"Dunno."
"Fair enough. Head on in."
And so we squeezed through the dark entrance they opened. Damp and musty, with a weird smell wafting from deeper in.
Grrr...
Intermittent growls—wild beast or monster?—sent chills down my spine. Hippolyte ran her palm along the cold stone wall and muttered.
"Looks like this labyrinth isn't registered with Delphi authorities. I've heard tomb raiders or bandits sometimes hole up in unregistered ones..."
"More importantly, they didn't even check our identities? Is it okay to run things this sloppily?"
Elfriede muttered to herself, genuinely puzzled. But I knew exactly why this labyrinth skipped the ID checks and formalities.
The forest keeper scouting ahead spoke up.
"No need."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Means they're confident they can control anyone who enters, no matter what trouble they cause. Who'd dare start something under Deathros's banner?"
He stopped there, as if that explained it all. Unlike his earlier nonstop chatter, he was oddly quiet now that we were inside—almost taciturn. It felt off.
Was the chatty guy the real forest keeper, or was this the true face?
Not that it mattered right now.
"Hassan was right. Something ahead is reacting!"
Luna stared at the karma detector by my side.
"It was spinning because it's underground. Could Gloria's brother really be in a place like this?"
Luna asked innocently, but Hippolyte just clicked her tongue.
"What does 'in Pluto's Labyrinth' mean? He's already dead, a ghost. Pluto's Labyrinth isn't some bandit den or tomb—it's hell itself."
Hippolyte's mood had soured since entering. Elfriede seemed the same, frowning and clearing her throats repeatedly.
I got it.
As Hippolyte said, labyrinths were gateways to hell by nature.
No surprise living folk felt instinctive revulsion stepping in. Even Paranoy ground her teeth, looking thoroughly creeped out.
"How dare they—how dare these filthy thieves occupy Lord Pluto's labyrinth without permission! All of them, execution...!"
Paranoy had her own reasons for being pissed, apparently. Then the forest keeper halted abruptly.
"You're a nymph devotee of Pluto, a heretic worshiper? Then you'll have a joyous experience inside."
"Joyous experience? Like candy...? Or cookies...? Or mountains of gold coins...?"
"...Candy? Dunno about that. But deep inside is Pluto's proxy."
Hippolyte reacted.
"Pluto's proxy? Really?"
"You'll see."
Answering vaguely, the forest keeper yanked down a strange lever.
The wall blocking our path slid open slowly, revealing countless blazing torches illuminating a throng of people.
"Yeah! Yeah! Kill! Kill him!
The head! Yeah! Hit him like that! Damn, this pup's pissing me off since dinner!
Sharp shouts echoed from all sides, snapping me alert. I'd seen this scene before.
"A full-on underground arena. I've heard of labyrinths like this..."
Hippolyte nailed it.
The massive cavern revealed by the lever yawned below, a vast round pit that screamed underground coliseum.
Like Deathros's surface arena had sunk underground with the fire.
My head spun. But I forced myself to burn every detail into my mind, no averting eyes.
Soon I spotted the difference from the Deathros arena I knew.
Grraaa—!!
"Hiiik! Spare me! P-please! I take it back! I'll forfeit the challenge—aaagh!"
Grrooo...
Ah, our lady warrior challenger who held out till Round 11—falls to the Round 11 guardian, the Dry Bones, Kane Bilickers...!
Below me, some unknown woman spewed blood, impaled by a sword-wielding skeleton. Fighting a skeleton?
Deathros arenas had human-vs-human, human-vs-beast, but never this blatant murder show.
"Gyaaah!"
Kraaa—!!
The gruesome sight wrinkled my nose instinctively. My companions felt it too—Luna exploded.
"Turning the dead and spirits into entertainment? Using ghosts for fun!"
To a voodoo shaman like Luna, treating the undead as spectacle was unforgivable. The forest keeper grinned oddly at her trembling.
"Miss, get that mad and you'll faint at what's coming."
"What's coming?"
As Luna tilted her head, puzzled, I felt all eyes drawn to the highest perch in the arena.
There sat a throne-like seat that didn't belong in this underground hole.
Colorful silk banners draped it. A golden chair gleamed like a king's, holding something eerie.
It swirled a wine glass of red liquid and spoke lightly.
Rise—.
The air chilled instantly. The rowdy crowd fell into heavy silence, like a lie.
Rise, you useless thing. Useless, pointless thing. Rise and fight—. You weren't planning to rest just from dying, were you?
The low, gloomy voice licked through the crowd.
Groan, uuaaa...
Before our eyes, the bleeding, dying swordswoman groaned strangely and revived. Well, "revived" might not fit.
Graaa—!
Graa—!
As skeleton and swordswoman resumed battle, such questions faded.
I had to ask.
"What the hell is this?"
"What else? Light entertainment. Wanna try, buddy? Clear all 20 stages, and you get to challenge the labyrinth's master."
You can quit midway, he mumbled. I pressed.
"And if you challenge the master?"
"You become the labyrinth's master. Take that gaudy throne from the skeleton, claim all the rights and perks. Man, envy that?"
I paused to think.
Hippolyte cut in.
"That master—is it the undead necromancer up there? Worthy of 'proxy' indeed."
"Undead necro...? No clue. I just intro challengers and pocket some coin. Think it over. Entry's 1 silver if you want in."
With that, the forest keeper turned and left without a care.
We were stuck in the stands. Elfriede, who'd listened quietly, eyed the heights and explained.
"That's a lich, no doubt. Never thought a lich in a labyrinth like this. Might be too much for us alone. Hassan, you're Pluto's son, right? Isn't that guy like a pal of yours?"
Elfriede prodded me expectantly.
But I was lost in endless flashbacks of torment.
-Useless wretch. Pointless wretch! Get up! Up and fight! No rest till you drop dead—!
The brutal boss's tongue, insulting body and soul alike.
That coercive voice burned into my brain for months.
The nightmare that haunted me still, one I'd thought burned to death, now sat before me, swirling its red goblet.
Nightmare incarnate.
Any more challengers? Entry 1 copper. Win a stage, double your bet. Survive 20, over 100 gold reward.
Murmurs rippled.
1 copper to 100 gold. That'd make even trash lives worthwhile. Come on, challenge. Fight to golden glory—
"Or become a pathetic useless corpse. Skargard—."
I stepped to the railing and said it. Hollow red eyes turned my way.
I changed that line long ago. Fight to golden glory or become a corpse to fight for me, useless thing.
"...."
I stared up wordlessly. Over bare bone, his snakelike face overlaid vividly.
Clack.
He opened his dry jaws.
"Long time, useless beggar. What gall for a green Samaritan who shook at killing?"
"You remember me?"
Remember? Of course. The pain of your fire still burns my fleshless bones. I dreamed nightly of chewing your meat—perfect. So, challenging?"
"...."
"Fed you, sheltered you, and you repay with betrayal, you cur—! Can't you hear Castor's bitter wail?"
"He's here."
Grheh, yes. Here. Think my stabbed friend died easy? Want him? Challenge. If you've got the guts."
"Paranoy, coin."
"Got it...!"
I took the 1-copper from Paranoy's mouth, flicked it hard with thumb and middle finger toward the heights.
Pew—.
The metal whistled, smashing the skull of a skeleton beside the lich Skargard. Crunch.
You bastard, my cherished skull warrior...
"Watch close."
I vaulted the railing toward the stage.