Chapter 9: Labyrinth Libarintos (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9: Labyrinth Libarintos (3)
Swoosh!
It was at that exact moment that the sound of tearing wind rang out.
Thwack!
"G-gah...?"
A massive axe lodged itself in Cheon Min-guk's head.
Since it was a chunk of iron easily measuring two meters... there was no need to check.
Instant death.
'It's finally here.'
Jinhyuk took a stance.
"M-monster! It's at least medium-sized!"
"Damn it. Of all times!"
The others reacted a beat too late.
A few pulled out crude-looking weapons.
They were cheap items purchased from the shop with the initial 100 Coins they had received.
Of course, they wouldn't be able to leave so much as a scratch with those.
Only a select few special armaments among the sacred relics could pierce its hide.
Thump! Thump!
His heart beat rapidly.
Every nerve in his body stood on end.
At the same time...
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Something was approaching from the end of the dark, shrouded passage.
It was coming.
And at an incredibly fast pace.
"Groooar!"
A moment later, a monster standing two meters tall revealed itself.
A mythical beast with the head of a bull and the body of a man.
The Minotaur.
This creature was the sole monster roaming this labyrinth.
"A-aaaaah!"
"What is that?!"
"What kind of messed-up labyrinth is this?! This is the 1st floor! The 1st floor!"
Amidst the chaos that erupted in an instant...
Swoooosh!
The Minotaur swung the massive axe in its hands.
Crash!
A single strike left a massive scar on the stone.
The wall crumbled, and a thick cloud of dust rose.
If it so much as grazed them, fragile human flesh would undoubtedly be torn to shreds.
But right then...
Dash!
Jinhyuk dashed forward.
Straight toward the front of the Minotaur.
"Groar!"
Did the bare-handed insect annoy it?
The Minotaur gripped the axe with both hands and raised it high.
As the attack plunged down toward the crown of his head...
Jinhyuk pivoted slightly to dodge it.
Craaaash!
The innocent ground shattered into pieces.
And at that moment...
[You have evaded the attack.]
[The stat 'Gap' has increased by 0.05.]
Two lines of status windows appeared before Jinhyuk.
'Yes!'
Jinhyuk swallowed a cheer of triumph.
Evading the Minotaur's attacks grants the hidden stat 'Gap'. However, this reward is limited to those who choose the labyrinth as their first hunting ground after entering the Tower.
'Gap.'
It was a stat that narrowed the distance in battles against overwhelmingly stronger opponents, and conversely, widened the gap even further when fighting weaker ones.
Ding!
[Detailed Description]
When fighting an enemy stronger than you, narrows the level gap by 1 level per 3 points.
When fighting an enemy weaker than you, widens the level gap by 1 level per 2 points.
The path to growing while remaining at Level 1.
This was the only method he had discovered after countless trials and errors.
Though it was starting at a mere 0.05...
'There's no need to rush.'
This was only the beginning.
Jinhyuk nimbly dodged the axe left and right.
Swoosh!
Crash!
With a terrifying sound of tearing air, the axe ground into the wall.
Debris sprayed in all directions.
It was a dangerous tightrope walk where a single minor mistake would lead directly to death, but Jinhyuk didn't even bat an eye.
There was no way he would make a mistake.
'Because I'm a veteran.'
'Because I've survived situations far more dangerous than this.'
And...
'Because I enjoyed every single moment of it.'
Thud! Crash! Boom!
He evaded the storm of attacks by a paper-thin margin.
"H-he's a monster."
"My god..."
"W-were we really trying to mess with a guy like that?"
While it was a familiar pattern to Jinhyuk, to those watching for the first time, it was a sight that left their jaws hanging open.
And for good reason.
His movements were far too absurd to be attributed to mere reflexes.
It was the result of grueling, repetitive memorization, engraved into his very bones.
Thus, it transcended prediction and entered the realm of precognition.
'I must have been completely out of my mind.'
Park Ha-na swallowed hard.
To think she had actually contemplated killing an unimaginably skilled veteran to steal his rewards.
It was no different from dousing oneself in oil and jumping into a raging fire.
* * *
"Groooar!"
The thoroughly enraged Minotaur went on an even wilder rampage.
Crash!
Thud!
The axe grazed the back of Jinhyuk's neck.
[You have evaded a fatal attack by a hair's breadth!]
[The stat 'Gap' has increased by 1.]
Evading more dangerous attacks yielded more stats.
High risk, high return.
Jinhyuk wiped away a single drop of blood from his neck with his finger.
'As expected, I have to push it to this extent to get the maximum stat points.'
He had intentionally timed his dodges to the absolute limit.
Trading a sliver of skin for 1 stat point wasn't a bad deal at all.
Though doing it too often would put him at risk of bleeding out.
A few minutes passed like this.
"Whew. Pant. Pant."
Jinhyuk felt his breathing grow heavy and his stamina begin to drain.
Fatigue was also starting to build up in his muscles.
'Time to wrap up this first skirmish.'
There was plenty of time to farm stats later.
He planned to squeeze out at least 100 stat points over the month it would take to escape the labyrinth.
Jinhyuk glanced back.
While he was dealing with the Minotaur, he saw the group trying to sneak away.
'Look at them. The extras are trying to exit the stage without permission?'
He couldn't allow that.
'I'm the one who decides when, where, and how you live or die.'
'Besides, where do you think you're going when you don't even know the way out?'
Jinhyuk subtly widened his distance from the Minotaur and leaped toward the group.
"If you guys want to get some stats too, why don't you join me?"
"...What?"
Park Ha-na's eyes widened like a startled rabbit's.
"If you dodge its attacks, it gives you a hidden stat. It's actually way easier than it looks. Give it a try."
Normally, he wouldn't share such a good thing, but he would make an exception just this once.
Out of the goodness of his kind and benevolent heart, he would make a single exception.
"..."
At his words, Park Ha-na's face contorted in horror.
It was as if she wanted to scream, 'You crazy bastard, how does that look easy to you?'
"Come on, don't be shy. Just once. At least give it a shot. If you feel like you can't do it, I won't force you again."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
At the same time, he shoved Do Gwang-woo, who was standing next to Park Ha-na, forward.
"Uh... Uhhh?"
Do Gwang-woo stumbled forward a few steps against his will.
Just a few steps.
But those few steps were the boundary between life and death.
"Aaaaargh!"
There was no time to dodge.
Nor was there time to beg for his life.
Slice!
Do Gwang-woo's upper and lower body were severed in half.
Thoroughly provoked and enraged, the Minotaur showed absolutely no mercy.
"Oops!"
Jinhyuk covered his mouth with his hand.
"I mean, why did you just stand there? You should have ducked or backed away quickly."
Honestly, it was so frustrating it made his chest feel tight.
Why would you just stand there dazed?
At least do something.
He wanted to tell him to try harder next time, but...
Ah.
There was... no next time.
* * *
The labyrinth shifted once more.
Rumble!
The walls and ground moved frantically.
He had to throw himself out of the way to avoid being crushed to death again, but thanks to that, he was able to put some distance between himself and the Minotaur.
"Pant. Pant. Pant."
"T-thank goodness."
"I... almost died."
Everyone gasped for breath.
They had lost two of their companions, but in their relief at having survived, no one could be seen grieving.
As expected, one's own life was always the most precious.
"Did we lose it? It won't chase us anymore, right?"
Park Ha-na trembled slightly as she stared past the wall, as if the Minotaur might burst through the stone at any second.
"It will keep chasing us."
Jinhyuk toyed with the small dagger in his hand.
It was the weapon Do Gwang-woo had been holding just moments ago.
Though it had now become a keepsake of the deceased.
"H-how can it keep chasing us? The paths changed!"
"Because of this."
Jinhyuk opened his palm, which was stained with a blue glow.
Since he had coated his skin with plenty of Luminous Moth dust, the Minotaur would continue to track them.
All the way until the moment they escaped the labyrinth.
"That's... insane. Why on earth did you do that?! Why?!"
Why?
"Because I need to raise my stats. We'll rest and recover our stamina only when the labyrinth shifts, and spend the rest of the time playing with the little calf."
"For... how long?"
"Until we get out of the labyrinth."
"I mean, how long is that going to take?!"
"Hmm. About a month?"
To be precise, it's a month if we go fast. If you guys keep acting up, it could take two.
I'm going to milk them dry anyway, but if I speak too harshly, the process will only become more painful for them.
"..."
Park Ha-na collapsed to the ground.
A month.
She wasn't even sure if she could survive today, let alone a month.
"W-we'll go our separate way. If we don't go with you, we won't be chased by that monster."
This time, Lee Hye-min spoke up cautiously.
"That's true."
Jinhyuk nodded.
Its primary target will definitely be me, since I'm the one covered in the dust.
But here's the thing.
"Which way are you planning to go?"
You guys don't even know where the exit is.
Are you planning to just wander aimlessly and pray you escape?
Well, I don't think that's a very good option.
"Are you saying you know where the exit is?"
"As I said, I know this labyrinth better than anyone. Of course I know where the exit is."
"I understand. Then we'll... sigh... go with you. There's no other choice."
"Well, I don't mind you tagging along, but..."
Jinhyuk trailed off.
Lee Hye-min asked back anxiously.
"But...?"
Come on, let's not play dumb.
"It's not free."
"What?"
"Nothing in this world is free. Unless, of course, you hand over all the Coins you have."
To put it simply:
If you want a carry from a max-level player, cough up everything you have.
* * *
[Coins Held: 500]
Combining the Coins he got from the starting point with the ones he received from the four of them brought his total to 500 Coins.
It was far from enough to buy any decent weapons or armor.
But it didn't matter.
This was plenty to buy the items he actually wanted.
"Don't just stand there like wooden totems. Everyone, get to work. We need to gather moss to make beds, and find firewood to start a fire. There's plenty to do."
"Understood."
"We're going, okay? We're going."
"Sigh."
A deep sigh echoed.
They had come here dreaming of hitting the jackpot, only to be stripped of everything.
On top of that, they couldn't even guarantee their own survival, so it was only natural.
But did they know?
That even if they did all this, their fates wouldn't change anyway.
Once everyone had left, Jinhyuk activated the exchange.
[Welcome to the Coin Exchange.]
A massive status window appeared along with a brief message.
A place where hundreds of thousands of items could be bought and sold.
A land of opportunity filled with hidden gems in the mud and fool's gold.
This was the 'Coin Exchange'.
Jinhyuk lightly scanned the list.
[‘Tooth of the Ancient Species Degosian (SS)’ - 395,250,700 Coins]
[‘Feather of the Phantasmal Beast Vermilion Bird (S)’ - 188,187,000 Coins]
[‘Sacred Relic: Divine Instrument of Dangun Wanggeom (S)’ - 159,155,300 Coins]
From items that were dazzling just to look at...
[‘Worn Small Pebble (F)’ - 1 Coin]
...to items that were practically garbage.
There was truly a wide variety of items.
But...
'There's no point in staring at these all day.'
Window shopping for things he couldn't afford right now was just a waste of time.
Without hesitation, Jinhyuk scrolled to the very bottom of the category.
Down.
Even further down.
What he wanted was gathered at the very bottom.
'This... this. And this one too.'
Jinhyuk rapidly purchased the items he wanted.
[‘Enchanted Tarot Card (F)’ - 70 Coins]
[‘Worn Bronze Key Fragment (F)’ - 80 Coins]
[‘Wooden Wheel Fragment (E)’ - 300 Coins]
[‘Lotto Enhancement Scroll (F)’ x 10 - 1 Coin per scroll]
Four types of items in total.
All of them were practically trash, but Jinhyuk smiled with satisfaction.
The individual items didn't matter.
What truly mattered was how he utilized them.
"Synthesize the three items."
[If the combination is incorrect, all items will be destroyed.]
"I know, so just proceed."
Jinhyuk nodded.
Then...
[Synthesizing the three items.]
[Synthesis successful!]
As if to celebrate his success, a dazzling mist burst forth.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart began to beat rapidly.
'It's a success.'
Looking at the item that appeared before him, Jinhyuk was certain.
That all the time he had spent playing the [Tower of Trials] had definitely not been in vain.