Chapter 48
Chapter 48
48.Arachne's Labyrinth (2)
"Spiderwebs?"
"What is this?"
Without hesitation, I swung the Elegant Sword not at the floor, but at the wall. The situation was the same.
No blood splattered, nor did fragments of dirt fly. Inside, there were countless spiderwebs.
"……."
The split wall and floor no longer felt like stone, but like cloth. The texture was hard, but it felt like cloth was swaying.
Of course, the uncut parts still felt like stone, which was strange.
In any case, the others were dumbfounded by this sight. Uncle tilted his head.
"Is this Labyrinth made of spiderwebs, then?"
"Probably."
Jumping once in place, I could see the uncut spiderwebs vibrating subtly.
It was the moment the identity of the foreign sensation I had felt was revealed.
"A Labyrinth made of spiderwebs... It seems we can think of the Labyrinth itself as a single spiderweb."
"Yes. It'll be tracking our location through the vibrations of our steps."
Lee Shin-hee nodded, understanding my words, and Seo Min-jae, startled, guarded the front.
"Then that means they're coming soon, right?"
Since I had just cut a bunch of spiderwebs, the vibrations would definitely have been transmitted. However, they might not come.
"We don't know yet. They might be waiting for us to go deeper. If this is spiderweb, it means they can ensnare us."
It was still unknown how this Labyrinth would unfold. However, it was certain that it was a Labyrinth made of spiderwebs.
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
'If I burn all these spiderwebs with fire, will the Labyrinth collapse?'
However, I was a little reluctant to execute it immediately, because I didn't know what was under the broken spiderwebs.
If there was a cliff of tens or hundreds of meters, I would die instantly.
Even if I protected the party with my Subspace, I couldn't know how the Gate would end. I had experienced it before, but I couldn't be sure.
If the end of the Labyrinth disappeared, it would be impossible to conquer the Gate, and we might be trapped here.
'Chunbae.'
However, I had Chunbae.
Chunbae, who had experienced many Gates with the previous and previous Space Masters, would know a lot about Gates.
'What happens if a Gate collapses?'
Adding the explanation that I would burn it with fire, Chunbae spat out a positive answer.
-If the environment inside the Gate collapses, it will be processed as 'Conquered.' You will not be trapped.
'Really?'
Come to think of it. When I broke through the blocked path at the Labyrinth's Dead End, it was processed as Conquered.
However, it was just a single incident, so it was difficult to be sure.
-Yes. Because destroying the environment itself is also an ability. However, Han Hye's plan is impossible.
Impossible?
-Spiderwebs are weak to fire, but setting fire to the end will not burn them all. This Labyrinth made of spiderwebs is quite large.
-Unless it's a flame larger than the Labyrinth, or a fire that doesn't go out. It is impossible to completely collapse this Labyrinth.
It was a convincing explanation.
In fact, the spiderwebs made by spider Monsters were sturdier than those of ordinary spiders.
'Hmm. Then, in the end, moving forward is the answer…….'
As I was thinking, something flashed through my mind.
'What if I move outside the Labyrinth?'
This Labyrinth was made of spiderwebs. It could be cut with a weapon imbued with Mana.
In other words, it meant that I could break through the Labyrinth made of spiderwebs.
I didn't know what was outside the Labyrinth. However, even if there was a cliff like I was worried about, it didn't matter.
It meant that I could move using Subspace as a foothold.
-That's something you'll have to try to find out. There might be a wall. However, it's definitely not a bad idea.
Indeed, as Chunbae said, they might have just created another wall with spiderwebs in a tunnel-like place.
There was no harm in checking. I immediately took out a foothold from Subspace and stabbed the sword into the ceiling.
"Hye-ya, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to see if I can move to the outside of the Labyrinth."
"To the outside?"
"It's dangerous to move inside the Labyrinth made of spiderwebs."
There was a chance that the Labyrinth could tighten and wrap us like a cocoon. I continued, stabbing the sword deep into the ceiling.
"And I can reach the end of the Labyrinth faster. And maybe I can find a place that looks like there's a hidden area?"
If I could move outside as I thought, there would be two advantages.
The first was that I could avoid the potential threats posed by the Labyrinth made of spiderwebs.
The second was that I could see the structure of the Labyrinth from the outside, so I could reach the end faster.
If I saw a strangely shaped space, I could go and find a hidden area.
'The second one is more important than the first.'
In fact, even if it was a Labyrinth Gate at our Guild's level, it wouldn't be a big problem if it was at the same level.
Rather, it was important to achieve the goals of saving time and exploring hidden areas.
"Oh?"
When I broke through about 1m of the ceiling, I saw a very dark darkness. It was like pitch-black darkness.
As I was carefully looking at it, Chunbae continued.
-It's The Void.
'The Void?'
-It is the space that creates the inside of the Gate. If you fall into that The Void, you will be annihilated.
The Void. There was a time when I couldn't feel anything outside a certain range inside the Gate, so that must have been it.
It was a newly discovered fact.
'Is it okay to go out?'
-There's no problem as long as you don't fall down.
It was the moment I carefully poked my head out of the ceiling.
"Oh……."
The structure of the huge Labyrinth was visible. And I realized that my prediction could be realized.
In other words, we could pass through the outside of this Labyrinth. It was like a wall-breaking glitch in a game.
* * *
"This is……."
Those who had climbed onto the ceiling of the Labyrinth with Han Hye's help opened their mouths and looked around.
"It really looks like a spiderweb?"
The Labyrinth made of spiderwebs had the structure of a very large spiderweb when viewed from the outside.
The passage we were in was just one of the strands of the spiderweb.
The end of the Labyrinth was connected to an invisible wall in the darkness, and it was shaped like an ant hell that gradually descended towards the center.
Below the center was a structure that looked like a dome.
It was a place that seemed to be the end of the Labyrinth without having to say it.
Other than that, everything was connected very intricately with the same passages as just now.
"This…… There's a reason why we were given 4 days."
"I know, right. Isn't this crazy? How are we supposed to find our way there? If we took the wrong path, we would have wandered around the Labyrinth and died trapped?"
At Choi Cheol-gi's words, the party nodded and looked at Han Hye. Because he was the one who found this method.
"Wow, if it weren't for you, hyung, we would have been in big trouble."
"I know, right. It's amazing that you discovered that we could do this…… and you realized it as soon as we came in."
Lee Shin-hee and Choi Cheol-gi also nodded. Well, it might have been damaged during the battle with the spiders…….
They would never have imagined breaking through the wall like this and passing over it.
Usually, they would have thought that they had created a spiderweb wall inside a tunnel.
In fact, Han Hye had just tried it out of curiosity. As a result, he made an amazing discovery.
"First, let's all connect with ropes. Just in case we fall."
Although it was wide, if we fell, it was The Void. The party tied each other's bodies with ropes, like mountaineers doing abseiling.
Then Choi Cheol-gi asked a question.
"What happens if we Leap like this?"
"Shall we try?"
If everyone could Leap together, it would be an amazing ability. Han Hye used Leap 1m forward.
However, the party did not move together. Only Han Hye's body moved, except for the ropes connected to their bodies.
"Tch, that's too bad."
"There seems to be a limit. Maybe it will be different when we level up? Let's go for now."
In any case, it was our turn to move forward for now. Moving a few steps, Han Hye drew a path towards the center.
Because it was a spiderweb structure, we had to go around quite a bit.
Then, another brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.
Han Hye's Subspace was immune to physics, and other people could not pass through it. Han Hye could also set it up that way.
In other words, it meant that the Subspace entrance could be used as a foothold.
"Shall we cross over without going around?"
When Han Hye pointed to The Void, Lee Shin-hee's eyes widened.
"Huh? Over there?"
"I can use Subspace as a foothold."
Woo-ung-.
Han Hye opened Subspace.
Since Subspace could create two entrances and exits, it was a strategy to use them as footholds for the party.
"Don't be afraid and try stepping on it."
"Oh? It really doesn't fall? Wow, it's amazing. It feels like looking at a glass floor."
In this way, the party was able to move across the Labyrinth's passage through a staircase-shaped Subspace foothold. The speed gradually increased.
At first, the party walked cautiously, but gradually became accustomed to Subspace.
"Oh, what's that?Choi Cheol-gi, who was looking around after having some leisure, pointed to the left. Something round was attached to the spiderweb-like passage.
"Isn't that a hidden area?"
"No. There are many other places."
Han Hye had already identified it. There were quite a few that could be found if you looked around a little, so it was a bit much to call it a hidden area.
Choi Cheol-gi, who looked around a little more, nodded.
"Ah, that's right……."
"One of those might be a hidden area, but looking at the number, it seems like a space where spiders are hiding. I guess we'll have to open it to find out. But there are too many."
"I know, right. It's a bit much to search all of them."
Searching for hidden areas in the Labyrinth was something that could be tried if it was of a moderate size.
There was a high possibility of failing, but we couldn't search this entire huge spiderweb Labyrinth.
"Let's just go to the center."
In the end, the party gave up searching for hidden areas and headed to the center of the spiderweb. Since it was a little below, they created a staircase using the Subspace entrance.
Since it was outside the Labyrinth, they moved without any threats. It was the moment they arrived at the center.
[You have reached the end of the Labyrinth, Arachne's Room.]
[Time spent: 54 minutes 32 seconds. An impossible achievement.]
.
.
.
[You gain experience.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Everyone is granted the Skill 'Swiftness (C-Rank).']
Everyone in the party was shocked by the notification that appeared before their eyes. Just arriving quickly granted them a C-Rank Skill?
"T, this…… It didn't just pop up for me, right?"
"It popped up for me too."
"Wow, what is this……."
Everyone was speechless in disbelief. The Swiftness Skill was considered a very good Skill regardless of rank.
Although it consumed a lot of Mana, it was a Skill that allowed you to move and think quickly in a short amount of time.
It was important for the vanguard, but it was also quite important for the rearguard who cast Magic or healing spells.
Han Hye was also bewildered. He didn't expect to get these results.
"But if you think about it, I think we deserve to receive it?"
Then Seo Min-jae continued.
"We were able to come here thanks to Han Hye hyung, look at the distance we moved while coming down. There's no way we could have come here in an hour following that Labyrinth."
The party looked up, and they could see the huge spiderweb structure. It was a structure that they could never come back to in an hour if they came back.
"I guess I have to buy you a meal."
At Choi Cheol-gi's words, Han Hye let out a hollow laugh.
"A meal? Uncle. It's C-Rank Swiftness, can you get away with just a meal?"
"I guess not……."
Han Hye laughed at the sullen Choi Cheol-gi.
"Shin-hee, you solved the Guild house issue, so I'll consider it passed.Lee Shin-hee chuckled at the joke, and Choi Cheol-gi and Seo Min-jae began to seriously contemplate.
"What can I do for you……."
"Um, me…… my cousin's help?"
"That's right. Okay, Min-jae also passed. Seung-yeon saved me once."
"Oh? Really?"
"Of course.Choi Cheol-gi rebelled.
"What about me?"
"You helped me a lot too, Uncle, but didn't you say that I paid you back more than that last time?"Ahem.""
Han Hye waved his hand, thinking that the joke was enough.
"That's enough. Let's go inside here. It doesn't seem like we can go out right away, so there must be something inside."
"Is it Arachne?"
"Probably. Prepare for battle."
It was then.
Koo-oong-!
A huge reverberation was felt from inside the end of the Labyrinth. It was enough to be felt by the party outside.
"W, what is it?"
"I'll open it for now."
He hurriedly took out the Elegant Sword and stabbed it into the wall. The spiderwebs were a little sturdier because it was inside, but there was no big problem in cutting them.
And in the opened space, a completely unexpected situation unfolded.
"W, what is that?"
A woman in silver armor was fighting with what was presumed to be Arachne, with the lower body of a spider and the upper body of a woman, and spiders.
"……!"
"……?"
However, they were also flustered by the suddenly intruding party and stopped fighting.
Then, Chunbae continued.
-Han Hye, I feel divinity.
……Divinity?