The Labyrinth (2)
"Let me go, you barbaric Spartan!" the bald man struggled, held fast in Sisyphus’s grip. Daedalus. The very man who had designed this Labyrinth, the maze Sisyphus’s party had just entered.
"What are you planning to do to me? Good heavens! They say Spartans will mount anything that moves, man or woman, and it’s true! Help! Someone help me, Lord Dionysus!"
"You’re loud as hell. Can’t you shut it?" Sisyphus tossed Daedalus aside, hanging him from a statue of Zeus.
"Weren’t you a resident of this place? Why are you trapping the heroes who are trying to clear your maze?"
"Ugh. My Labyrinth is perfect. There’s no way some ragtag group that drifted in from Athens could break through it! Lord Dionysus, please bring divine retribution upon these arrogant fools!"
"My god, is he insane? He was killing heroes just to prove the perfection of his work?" Cassandra shuddered in disgust.
Clea shot him a look of pure contempt. "Besides, this Labyrinth has been twisted by the mana of magical beasts; the original design doesn’t even exist anymore. He’s truly lost his mind."
"Say what you will, the fact that the Labyrinth is my masterpiece remains unchanged! Dare to challenge perfect art, and you shall meet divine punishment!"
Daedalus clicked a hidden button. A massive gear beside the statue began to rotate, and iron chains dropped from the ceiling.
―*Kaaaaa!*
Dozens of skeleton soldiers fell from the chains. Furthermore, the statue of Zeus began to move, its eyes glowing with a crimson light. It approached the party menacingly, brandishing a massive stone blade.
"Kekeke! Lord Dionysus has answered! This is exactly what those who dare to disturb the order of the Labyrinth deserve. No hero has ever survived once this 'Extermination' is triggered. Writhe in agony!"
Daedalus clapped his hands gleefully. Sisyphus didn’t even bother to respond; he leaped into the air. Clea, realizing his intent, was already positioned above the chains hanging from the ceiling.
"Sisyphus!"
"Hup."
In a flash, Clea tossed a bundle of chains she had tied together toward Sisyphus. *Snap!* Sisyphus caught them and swung through the air. Thanks to Clea calculating the angle beforehand, Sisyphus flew with pinpoint accuracy toward the statue.
"Th-that madman! He doesn’t value his own life!" Daedalus gasped, watching him charge at the giant statue. It looked like nothing more than a suicide mission.
―*Whoosh!*
The massive stone blade swung toward Sisyphus. While holding onto the chains, Sisyphus lifted his lower body like a gymnast on parallel bars, narrowly dodging the attack that would have shattered him to pieces.
*Boom!*
He ran along the top of the stone blade. He leaped instantly to the hand of the statue holding the sword.
Headbutt
*Kwang!*
The stone fingers were pulverized in a single blow.
"Hup."
He hoisted the massive stone blade onto his shoulder.
Swing
*Vwooom!*
A massive arc was traced in the air.
―*Kwakwakwakwang!!*
The statue of Zeus split and collapsed, burying the skeleton soldiers. Total annihilation. The dozens of skeletons were crushed under the rocks, disappearing without a trace.
"Ka, kaaa..."
The last one barely survived. Even that one was met with a powerful kick accompanied by a crackle of sparks, sending its skull flying into the sky. Clea dusted off her shoes.
"Hey."
*Rummmble!*
Sisyphus, emerging from the dust of the crumbling statue, called out to Daedalus.
"Yes?"
"Try one more trick. You’re dead."
"Yes, sir."
Daedalus, the genius engineer. He had been insane for twenty long years. It was a natural result, given that his life’s work, the Labyrinth, had been turned into a den of monsters by the gods' whims. Naturally, one loses their mind when faced with the overwhelming horror of an Outer God. He had chosen to escape reality by praising the gods who had ruined Crete. He had lived in the maze for twenty years. And now, he had just regained his sanity.
"How many floors does this Labyrinth have?"
"Ten floors, sir."
"Is there a bull-head down there?"
"Yes, without a doubt, sir."
"Can I just punch through the floor and go down from here?"
"Uh..."
"I could just make a hole and toss you through it first."
"No, no! There is no floor at this location! Please go to the central hall’s waterwheel to dig a hole, yes! Ah, check the portal first. It’s at the end of the west corridor, sir!"
"Useful enough." Sisyphus picked Daedalus up again.
"Hey, Daedalus."
"Yes, sir."
"I’m fine with it, but Rick and Jacob hate nonsense."
"Yes...? Rick?"
Sisyphus wedged his bald head between his elbow, bicep, and forearm.
"Huk." Daedalus felt immense pressure.
"This is level one. Every time you spout nonsense, the boys will tense up and contract."
―*Squeeeze...*
"Huk...! Teacher, wait a moment! Strength! Please, ease up on the strength!" Daedalus tapped Sisyphus’s arm pitifully. But Sisyphus didn’t budge. Soon, when he loosened his arm, Daedalus went limp again.
"Let’s do well."
"Of course, sir."
With the biological map in his possession, Sisyphus began to advance through the Labyrinth.
"This is the 5th-floor portal."
"Good work. Let’s return, rest for a day, and then start exploring the deep levels."
Theseus’s party reached the 5th floor, which could be called the turning point of the Labyrinth raid. The Labyrinth was shaped like an inverted pyramid. Below this point, the distance between floors grew shorter, but stronger monsters appeared. Since there were no portals from here on, they had to map the route thoroughly and clear it in one go. There wasn’t much information, as no party had ever survived an attempt on the deep levels.
Returning to the city center of Minos, the party began to resupply equipment and food.
"I’m a bit exhausted since I have to keep consuming divine power."
Since arriving in Crete, Pio, the healer, had been suffering the most. Because Dionysus’s curse was spread throughout the city, she couldn’t stop chanting her spells for a moment. It was fortunate that Pio was a skilled healer; without her, the party might have lost their minds just like the vagrants on the streets.
Would Sisyphus’s party be okay? Come to think of it, they hadn’t met since the first day.
"It might be better to camp on the 1st floor of the Labyrinth and enter from there."
"Let’s do that. The healer needs to rest, too."
While walking through the city after parting ways with the party to finish resupplying quickly, Theseus encountered a familiar face.
"Theseus! I’m glad to see you looking healthy."
It was Princess Ariadne. She was repairing a building with some carpenters and greeted Theseus warmly.
"Renovation work?"
"Yes. Buildings age faster than we think. I thought if we started by fixing the plaza, the citizens might regain some vitality."
She looked very diligent, with beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Theseus, were you not injured in the Labyrinth?"
"I’m planning to start clearing the deep levels tomorrow."
"Really? That’s amazing. It’s almost a new record for Labyrinth clears. I found it quite overwhelming just getting to the 5th floor."
"Have you tried clearing the Labyrinth before?"
"Yes. In the end, I lacked the ability."
It was a light tone, but Theseus could read the heavy emotion filling Ariadne’s eyes. She must have been very frustrated. She had many points in common with him.
"Did you want to become a hero?"
"Hmm... Well, I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it like that."
But this point was different. She seemed to possess the qualities of a hero and could have acted as one, yet she didn’t seem obsessed with it.
"Then what do you want to become?"
To that question, Ariadne answered with a bright, unhesitating smile.
"A king without shame."
It was an answer that gave Theseus much to think about.
"Theseus, you said you were going to the deep levels."
"Yes."
"Please use this. It will be helpful."
Ariadne handed him something. It was a box containing a few pearls.
"Is this an artifact?"
"It’s for marking the path you’ve traveled. Please use it when you return. I couldn’t go to the deep levels, so I never had a chance to use it."
"I will use it gratefully."
Their hands brushed as he received the artifact. A strange atmosphere flowed between the two.
"I pray you return safely."
Theseus left Ariadne’s farewell behind. The Labyrinth exploration continued smoothly afterward.
"Skeleton soldiers, two squads."
"I’ll tie them down. The vanguard!"
The mage, Lynceus, possessed the unique trait of *Clairvoyance*. Thanks to this, he could detect what lay beyond the Labyrinth in advance and prepare for danger. They didn’t forget to drop Ariadne’s pearls along the way. If they used the artifact, a path of light would appear leading back to the dropped pearls, allowing them to return at any time.
"I’ve been wondering for a while, why are there always so many undead in Olympus’s sphere of influence? Hermes even brought an army of skeleton soldiers."
The healer answered the warrior’s question.
"There’s a theory that it’s because they are the easiest monsters to handle with the least amount of mana. You could say they are cost-effective."
"Disgusting."
"Theseus?"
"Hmm, let’s move forward."
Apart from the party’s smooth progress, Theseus’s mind wasn’t clear at all. Princess Ariadne. Her image kept lingering in his mind. In a way, Ariadne’s starting point was the same as his. But her choices regarding her current location and the conviction that came from them were completely different. She couldn’t possibly be happy in the present, either. She was faced with the reality that her precious hometown city was being ravaged and ruined by the gods. Yet, Ariadne didn’t complain once, nor did she regret her choices.
‘On the other hand, I have been constantly doubting myself as a hero.’
This won’t do, I must find another way. Because he had denied his lineage as royalty, it had become even more of a burden. Even if Ariadne had chosen the path of a hero, she wouldn’t have regretted it. Perhaps she might have even cleared the deepest part of the Labyrinth before him. Her attitude toward life was truly worthy of respect as a human being.
‘Not like me.’ Theseus scoffed.
*Pashut!*
The volley of arrows he fired turned the skeleton soldiers into dust. Reaching the 6th floor, the torches gradually lost their light, and the surroundings grew dark. *Thump, thump!* Something large in the darkness flashed its eyes.
"It’s a Minotaur. It smells like rotting corpses."
"It’s undead. It must be at least Hero-rank."
"We’ve all faced them in Corinth, right? Let’s go without tension."
―*Moooooo!*
The battle began. Amidst the pouring arrows and magic, the bull-beast charged, thrusting its giant horns. *Boom!* The narrow labyrinth corridor vibrated with the impact. The party continued their attacks calmly. It was when Theseus gracefully leaped and landed behind the beast.
*Rumble!*
"Ugh, what?"
Suddenly, the foothold Theseus was standing on rotated, separating him from the party.
"Theseus!"
It was a blunder. The Labyrinth was full of traps. He had been careful and avoided them until now, but perhaps because he had too many other thoughts in his head, he had walked right into one. He fell for a long time. Theseus condensed moisture and used it like a cushion. He was able to land without a major impact. Once he fell, the wall he had entered through rotated and blocked the path.
"Tsk."
To think he’d fall for such a beginner’s trap. It was enough to make his Beta-rank embarrassing. Theseus looked around. It was a prison. Come to think of it, they said this Labyrinth was originally designed as a prison. But he wasn’t alone.
"Haha! You fell for it perfectly. A mere hero trying to beat the Labyrinth? You’ll never get out of there for the rest of your life!"
A bald man outside the bars teased him mercilessly and ran away.
"You’re truly dead."
And the prisoner who had been in the same cell as him. A black-haired Spartan.
"Sisyphus?"
He turned to look at him. Whether he had been trapped by being tricked by the man who just ran away, his face was filled with rage, no different from a beast.
"Theseus, did you come to save me?"
"No, I’m trapped too."
"Useless."
That remark got on Theseus’s nerves. He tried touching the bars with a volley of arrows.
"It seems magic is cast on them. The level of such a prison is obvious anyway. If I dismantle the formula or find a weak point, I’ll be able to break it and get out soon. Ah, he didn’t even think to hide the formula. It’s here..."
Theseus, who had been looking around, read the sentence written on the formula and shut his mouth. Theseus covered it with both hands.
"What is written on the magic formula?"
"You don’t need to know."
"This is the situation. Shouldn’t we identify the problem and share our opinions?"
Theseus, who had been agonizing, slowly opened his mouth.
"...It says it’s a room you can’t leave unless you [censored]."
"Hoh."
For a moment, all sorts of thoughts flashed through Theseus’s mind. Did he say it wrong? Sisyphus looked as if he had lost his reason.
‘What kind of formula is this anyway? It’s malicious.’
Theseus broke into a cold sweat. Of course, he respected Sisyphus as a strong hero, but wasn’t he a Spartan? They were people who mated like beasts regardless of gender. He felt a crisis.
"Look, Sisyphus. I believe we can have a rational conversation."
"This room is the best."
*Thump, thump.* Sisyphus walked over like a beast. He touched the bed in the room. Come to think of it, why would there be a bed? The purpose was obvious. At that moment, Sisyphus said something strange.
"And it even has such a sturdy bench."
"A bench, you say?"
*Thump.* Sisyphus lifted the bed and placed it in the center of the room.
"A prison where you have to work out to get out, it’s the best."
Sisyphus pulled a dumbbell out of his gym bag. He lay down on the bed that had become a bench.
"Huk, huk, huk."
He began his dumbbell presses.