Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Currents Below the Surface
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While Isilite was meticulously cleaning the phase stone, which was smeared with the monster centipede's bodily fluids, Resim moved to Hwan-in's side and exhaled softly through her mouth as he spoke.
"I already knew that Lord Hwan-in's defensive arts were exceptional, but seeing them up close... their brilliance and perfection are beyond words."
"Is that so."
"I've been taught that defensive arts against humans and those against heteromorphs are the same yet different. But to my still immature eyes, Lord Hwan-in's techniques seemed to unify both into a single origin. Was I right in what I saw...?"
"You saw well."
Hwan-in gave a curt reply. There was no such thing, but a long explanation would only tire him out.
Resim let out a noticeably deep sigh.
When asked what was wrong, Resim replied with a face full of clear envy and respect.
"The master who taught me martial arts is a Rank-6 Sword Warrior. He trains for the same reason, but as his disciple, it's not my place to say... I felt that even his level doesn't touch the tip of Lord Hwan-in's toes."
Until he saw Hwan-in slicing through the monster centipede, Resim had thought his master might be the best in that field. But the moment he witnessed Hwan-in's combat, he realized it purely and simply.
His master's skill was just ordinary. He merely adapted a portion of the subtleties from defensive arts honed against humans to fight heteromorphs and monsters.
"If it had been my master, he would have dispatched a monster centipede like the one in that monster room in a single breath. He has that much power and phase force. But if told to face it without using phase force..."
Out of respect for his master, Resim trailed off without finishing.
Gathering courage from Hwan-in's faint smile and lack of comment, Resim asked.
"Lord Hwan-in. I know this is an impertinent request, but if it's alright with you, might I ask for a bit of your guidance?"
Resim's plea, with his wolf ears perked up and eyes sparkling brightly, carried the pure innocence of a late-teen boy.
Hwan-in glanced at Isilite. Just then, she looked back at him and hurriedly turned away when their eyes met.
"......"
Gazing quietly at Resim, who resembled a handsome gray wolf in bust form, Hwan-in shook his head. Resim's perked wolf ears drooped back like a wilted flower.
"I don't have much experience systematically teaching others. Even 'a bit' is hard for me to gauge."
"Uh......"
"Instead, let's do this. Have Isilite teach you the basics of the swordsmanship you're practicing. In return, I'll spar with you. How does that sound?"
If you have the ability, learn defensive arts cleverly through spars with me. In exchange, teach Isilite your swordsmanship.
In truth, it was odd and rude for Resim to demand instruction in a place like this. But Hwan-in couldn't bring himself to scold him for it—Resim was still young and naive, the sheltered youngest of a good family.
Rather than lecturing such a person, proposing a fair deal seemed more appropriate and sensible.
Resim and Isilite exchanged surprised glances at Hwan-in's proposal.
In reality, there was no need for such a complicated process.
Hwan-in had already observed Resim's battles enough to read his footwork, body movements, striking methods, and swordsmanship, and he could have passed them directly to Isilite.
But Resim was a direct guard of the Ho tribe family—a noble house in this world.
Whatever he had learned would undoubtedly be a family art or renowned martial style. If a former bandit like Isilite learned it, it could spell trouble later.
"......Understood. I'll teach Miss Isilite all the basics I know."
"Good."
Their schedule now included an extra item—sparring and instruction—but the main goal of labyrinth exploration hadn't changed much.
Instead, they shed the leisurely travel vibe and began focusing intently on exploration, gripping their tension tightly.
Thanks to the monster room encounter, they realized that even as Rank-3 sorcerers and Rank-4 warriors, a single misstep in this labyrinth could cost their lives.
Their gear was incomparably superior to Hwan-in's.
Baek Rye-gang's seemingly plain leather armor was stacked with enchantments for all sorts of resistances—magical and physical—and her staff was embedded with a Rank-6 phase stone, the Wind Demon Stone, meticulously processed.
Apparently, if charged with phase force beforehand, it allowed casting wind spells even when phase force was depleted.
Resim's armor matched its appearance and color in price, faithfully suited to his role.
Not only did it provide dense full-body protection, but its focus on physical and spell damage resistance options gave it even better defense than Baek Rye-gang's.
That they emerged unscathed from the 9th-floor monster room against three Rank-2s and ten Rank-1s proved it.
With such capable people staying vigilant—ears attuned to ambient sounds, delicately assessing the environment, and slowly raising exploration progress—the drop in danger was only natural.
The pace slowed further as a result, but stability improved, and Hwan-in could visibly see Isilite's labyrinth experience piling up as she stared intently at Resim.
Three days passed like that, bringing them to the sixth day since entering the labyrinth. The party was exploring the 12th floor.
"Underground labyrinths typically change in heteromorphs or properties every five floors. Floors 1 through 5 have Rank-1 heteromorphs, 6 through 10 mix Rank-1 and Rank-2, and 11 through 15 feature Rank-2 and Rank-3."
"Fewer low-rank ones as floors deepen?"
"Yes. Right before a layer shift, only that layer's rank appears."
This forced Resim and Baek Rye-gang to abandon their picnic-like ease starting from the 11th floor.
Rank-3 heteromorphs were formidable foes that could easily put even them in peril.
Rank-3 gelatin cubes were large enough to swallow a person whole, and Rank-3 monster centipedes ranged from 4m to 7m as large types.
Screechers—scream monsters—grew to adult woman size, with five arms and two heads, their heteromorph traits starkly evident.
And Rank-3 monster spiders were literally man-eating sized.
"And as Miss Isilite has seen, labyrinths have monster rooms—so-called monster houses."
Monster rooms could spawn heteromorphs up to one rank higher than the floor, making encounters extremely hazardous.
They varied in size—small, medium, large—and were said to start from the 2nd layer mainly.
This was why few parties ventured beyond the 8th floor. Daily laborers scraping by on labyrinth heteromorph hunts wouldn't risk it.
"Monster room size is determined by the number of heteromorphs inside. Small has about 10, medium 30-40, and large over 40, mixing different species."
But these standardized monster rooms were the lesser evil. Labyrinths could mutate, occurring post-entry due to frequent breakthroughs by higher-rank intruders in short times, Resim explained.
"Mutations cause drastic layer differences and jumbled heteromorph themes, making them highly dangerous. Rank-3s might appear on the weakest 1st layer, or flame layers suddenly turn to extreme cold."
"Whoa. Meeting a large monster room there..."
"In a Rank-6 mutant labyrinth, even low floors could spawn Rank-7 heteromorphs. If you meet one, think the beast gods need you."
"Eek."
But such extreme dangers were rare.
Entry into mutant labyrinths aimed to clear them anyway. With full preparation and recruited parties targeting breakthroughs, low-floor monster rooms posed little issue.
During lunch break, Hwan-in stroked his left forearm while listening to Resim impart labyrinth knowledge to Isilite.
Three days ago, via their deal, Resim had begun teaching Isilite sword basics alongside her labyrinth lore.
—I'm gaining too much from spars with Lord Hwan-in. Just basics feels unfair, so with permission, I'll share knowledge at my discretion.
The impromptu labyrinth lessons seemed hugely beneficial for Isilite.
From her initial wild swings with the greatsword relying on brute force, she was now developing proper stance, angles, and footwork.
Still full of openings Hwan-in could end in a second, but growth mattered.
"Then, let's begin afternoon training."
"Please take care of me!"
Labyrinth lore done, Isilite gripped her mid-weight greatsword and stood. Following Resim's instructions, she swung it like a longsword.
"Miss Isilite's strength is her greatest asset. No fancy tricks—just overwhelm with rock-splitting power."
"Yes!"
"When foes swing 1m longswords, you wield a 2.5m greatsword. That 1.5m reach gap equals 15m in close combat. Keep that in mind, watch enemy attacks to the end, and..."
Kuu.
Watching training, Hwan-in turned at the emergency ration's frustrated sound.
Baek Rye-gang hugged it close, stroking its sleek back feathers with a forlorn face.
'Labyrinth influence? The awaited phenomenon... but not good.'
Melancholy—the root of all mental ills. Hwan-in intuited 100% trouble if left unchecked due to mental erosion.
Trouble meant escort failure. Moving beside her, he spoke plainly.
"Emergency Ration seems stifled."
"Pardon? Oh, sorry."
Kuueee~
Finally free, it hit the ground, spread its wings wide, stretched neck-long, shuddered like yawning, then flapped short circles.
Then it scurried to rub its head against Hwan-in's leg, as if saying, 'That weird lady was suffocating!'
Baek Rye-gang's face grew lonelier at the display.
Her expression screamed utter isolation.
"Feeling lonely?"
"Loneliness, sadness, envy swirling like chaos..."
"Impressive."
"......Impressive?"
To her puzzled look, Hwan-in smiled faintly.
"Experiencing such emotions, even superficially, is impressive in itself."
"......"
"When suffocating loneliness, soul-crushing sorrow beyond tears, gut-twisting envy hit at once, you can't even show it outwardly. Mind tangles like knotted thread, heart sinks into soul-void darkness—you can't twitch a finger."
Baek Rye-gang choked at expressions dwarfing her recent feelings.
"Ha... Lord Hwan-in, have you... experienced that yourself?"
Her hesitant question met emotionless smile.
Chilling—smiling yet not. How could a human face that?
Books said intense emotions faded others afterward. Was that it?
How agonizing must it have been?
Of course not. Hwan-in just skipped answering to avoid lying; he'd never endured it.
"Upset Resim won't play with you? Or envious of Isilite's freedom?"
"......Resim's just childhood friend, like siblings. And... yes. Envious of Isilite."
Baek Rye-gang shoved swirling doubts aside, nodding slightly.
Deeper into the labyrinth, Isilite grew enviable.
She faced only melancholy cliffs ahead, while Isilite walked sunlit plains with her longed-for man.
Training, learning, seeing as desired—growing.
But she'd marry an unknown Ho tribe man, smile doll-like, speak doll-like, birth heirs like livestock...
"Isilite was abandoned by parents at birth, grew up parentless in slums with orphans, surviving on theft."
"......!"
"Awakened as jobber at death's door by luck, but life didn't improve. Rolled in third-rate mercenary band years, formed newbie unit for independence—used by elites, fell to bandits. Betrayed and ousted even there."
Baek Rye-gang gaped at the life summary shattering her woes.
"To Isilite, you're light itself. Still striving full-tilt to survive."
"I... had no idea. She doesn't seem it..."
Baek Rye-gang never imagined such grim past for the bright girl.
Just joined bandits by chance, reformed via Hwan-in—happy future. That's all.
Face burning, she hid it with hands. Hwan-in continued obliviously.
"I understand your sorrow. Marrying unknown, bearing children—future worries aplenty."
His age? Temperament? Weird hobbies? In-laws normal?
Everything terrified.
"So the path ahead feels dark."
Tears welled at his empathy.
Had anyone understood?
Mother, siblings only scolded: 'Ungrateful,' 'Family duty.'
Yet this near-stranger perfectly grasped her heart.
But shame burned. Childish tantrum, as brother said. Runaway mortifying.
"People envy what they lack. Normal reaction for ordinary folk."
"......"
"But you have more than you lack."
He gets it but still judges. Of course—who wouldn't? Spoiled girl's whining.
Her thought halted as Hwan-in's words exploded her mind.
"So you can do more than you can't."
Not directly, but with her funds and connections—plenty possible.
"Change perspective, world changes. Knowledge is power, experience weapon."
He met her eyes. Amid hazy emotion, fierce will electrified her spine.
"Better seek what you can do, want to do—build knowledge, experience—than waste time resenting. For your future."
"Future......"
Seeing negativity lift from her murmuring face, Hwan-in sighed inwardly.
'Escort duty's no joke.'
Mental erosion—labyrinths' negative mental toll was well-known; Hwan-in witnessed it.
Stronger in higher ranks. Counter only iron will or mental fortitude.
Beyond normal control, limits varied.
Standard: same-rank jobber lasts 15-20 days in matching labyrinth.
Rank-3 in Rank-3: max 20 days. Beyond: hallucinations, delirium, rapid decline.
Max varied; min by person, condition.
Like Baek Rye-gang's negativity spike accelerated it.
'Cared for emotions, wasted mental. No full 15 days. Four days left?'
Six passed; four ahead, two considering ascent.
'Talk to Resim... Hm?'
Kuu, kuu! Ku, ku! Et, kuek!
Hwan-in eyed Emergency Ration twitching forward like poppin' dance.
'What's with it now.'
Mental erosion on animals? Never heard for transport Kue.
Missing Baek Rye-gang's odd gaze, he frowned approaching.
"Emergency Ration, what's sudden?"
Kuuut, kuek! Ku, euk!
Twitching unnaturally. Soul Vision checked—no color anomalies.
Training pair and composed Baek Rye-gang gathered.
"Master? What's with Emergency Ration?"
"No idea."
"Resim, fetch antidote and disease cure. Better try."
"Yes? Yes. Odd, it was fine... Hm!"
"Ah."
"......"
Amid worry, Emergency Ration's body enveloped in radiant light. Hwan-in relaxed, staring at the glowing mass.