Chapter 355
Chapter 355
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 355
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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Kang Seol sent a glance toward the presence hanging off his arm at the hesitant tone of voice.
Of course, that didn't mean he could actually see anything.
"...Lament?"
【Am I... maybe not supposed to be here?】
"......"
- It's like singing in an elevator and running into a neighbor.
- Smoothly transition to a medley!
- Heh heh heh... We could just shatter the world... Ah, Mom! Knock before coming in! The world...? What? I didn't say that! Mom must've misheard!
Kang Seol had been steeling himself to struggle alone through the Pitch-Black Labyrinth, but unexpectedly, he learned that Lament could accompany him.
【Um... Should Lament go find an exit right now?】
"...No."
【Is it okay if I stay?】
"Yeah."
Lament wasn't a summon and though it had life, it couldn't be placed on the same level as other living beings.
It was a demon spirit.
In other words, a soul and a weapon.
That was why it could roam freely through every section of the Pitch-Black Labyrinth unscathed, even after stepping foot inside.
Kang Seol's heart sank.
It wasn't from any fear or surprise.
The soft, squishy sensation pressing against his hand filled him with a comforting relief that someone was with him.
Stroke... stroke...
As he petted Lament, he asked,
"Then, will you help me out from now on? I won't see my friends for a while."
Thump thump!
He heard the sound of Lament patting its chest.
【Sure! Weak guys need Lament's help!】
"......Yeah."
- Aren't you grateful, weakling?
- Kids really can't lie.
- Lament's so kind! Even helping out weaklings.
- Fun fact) Snowman can solo rice planting with headbutts to a certain extent.
- Double cropping possible too.
- Problem is he might get reverse rice planted here lololol
The phrasing of "weak guy" grated on him, but since it wasn't wrong, he let it slide.
[You have met the conditions for the hidden adventure 'Adaptation Period.']
['Adaptation Period' sudden adventure has occurred.]
[This adventure is extremely dangerous.]
......
Messages like that rang out, but unfortunately, nothing was visible.
Message windows were designed to emit a faint glow for distinction, but with darkness swallowing the surroundings, he couldn't make out a thing.
Kang Seol decided to first gauge the terrain around him. From what he remembered, this wasn't a welcoming place. And assuming it was indoors could get him hit from behind.
'The Labyrinth of Penance and Underground Garden were like that too.'
They'd clearly gone underground, yet the sky was plainly visible, and environments teleported arbitrarily—none of it normal.
The Pitch-Black Labyrinth shared similarities with them.
'First, the ground...'
The texture of the floor was uneven.
It felt like stepping on a broad boulder.
'The location hasn't changed.'
He recalled hearing a horse murmur about this texture during his three previous visits to the Pitch-Black Labyrinth.
'It's a rocky mountain.'
The first starting terrain was a rocky mountain.
A landscape with forests dotted by several small lakes nearby.
'I brought drinking water, but since I don't know when I'll escape, I should head to the forest.'
With ingredients not lasting forever, descending to the forest where hunting was relatively easier was the wise long-term choice.
'That aside... did everyone head somewhere else?'
He hadn't seen where the last two masked figures went, but he figured they wouldn't cross paths.
And like in the Labyrinth of Penance, reaching the end of the Pitch-Black Labyrinth would bring them together naturally.
'Well... I wasn't planning to meet up anyway.'
As Kang Seol stood still in thought, Lament tugged at his sleeve.
【What do we do now?】
"Shh... There might be enemies, Lament. Speak quietly."
【Like this?】
Even toned down, Lament's volume was still booming.
"Even quieter."
【Uuuuuu....】
〔Like this?〕
It rang in his head like a pling!
He'd communicated this way several times before, but never consciously.
- Nice, how'd you do that?
Kang Seol, already used to conversing with summons, responded right away.
〔Hmm... Lament'll tell you! It worked when I tried speaking quietly!〕
- ...Whatever.
Kang Seol groped around his surroundings.
The exploration had finally begun.
There was a heavy presence nearby.
'A rock. How big is it?'
Kang Seol felt along the rock's width.
It was big enough that several people stretching out their arms wouldn't encircle it.
He meticulously groped around its edges.
By his guess, it was a high spot on the rocky mountain.
Hoo...
Having set sail already, he had no intention of sightseeing the harbor.
Kang Seol spread out on the ground and sat cross-legged.
It wasn't particularly comfortable, but he'd heard from Hye-myeong that no posture aided concentration better for tasks needing focus.
An unknown world.
Where was this place?
And where did he stand?
Kang Seol had a skill perfect for this.
[Mid-level Discernment activates.]
[The surrounding terrain feels faintly perceptible.]
[A strong wind blows.]
[Mid-level Discernment activates.]
......
He couldn't see the rising messages, but the words seemed to sink right into his mind.
Vital info flowed to him: how the rocks protruded nearby, whether there were cliffs, and so on.
〔What do we do now?〕
- ...Adapt.
The gateways in the Pitch-Black Labyrinth weren't mere trials to pass for rewards.
'More like training.'
That was one reason he'd decided to head here when the Pitch-Black Labyrinth revealed itself.
Five doors.
And the patterns hidden within.
Conveniently called sub-attributes.
Dreams hid magic's pattern, blood hid martial arts'. Unfortunately for Kang Seol, there was no separate space for summoning training in the Pitch-Black Labyrinth.
So he'd chosen his original attribute, shadow, as the next best, naturally training its hidden sub-attribute too.
'And this place's sub-attribute is...'
Martial technique.
The shadow door had martial technique as its sub-attribute.
'If we're just talking attributes, that woman Lucia or whatever should've come here.'
She'd ignored his advice to choose carefully, so it was her own fault.
Anyway, a summoner with martial technique felt a bit awkward, but Kang Seol was a frontliner summoner who didn't use the exclusive weapons typical of his rare class.
No spellbook, no orb-tipped staff, no staff, no crystal ball—none of the tools summoners might wield.
'No, I couldn't reshape Lament like that anyway.'
Lament changed properties with its form.
It started as a lantern but now wandered the world beyond it.
Its forms strictly followed shadow properties: armor with Jamad, sword with Karen or Karuna.
The issue was that when its owner Kang Seol wielded it, the form shifted arbitrarily.
'There's more than one or two things to fix...'
He could see just how messily he'd grown.
Flexible forms could be an advantage, but it meant he lacked any standard weapon type.
It was like a pearl necklace on a pig.
Kang Seol planned to correct a lot here, no matter how long it took.
All ultimate arts born after Night Raven belonged to shadows.
Karuna's Asura, Karen's Perfect Combustion—none his own.
His malformed growth had hit a wall.
Slumping over.
Haa...
'What to start with?'
Kang Seol leaned against the rock to organize his plans.
If not for the incoming presence.
Thud...
Thud...
Hidden behind the rock, Kang Seol deliberately suppressed his aura.
Grrrrrr...
Beast growls and a stench reaching the rock.
And an extraordinary presence.
'Strong!'
Easy with Jamad, but now he had to be cautious.
Thud...
Thud...
The bipedal beast vanished.
Kang Seol sighed.
"Haa..."
So fragile.
Lament shook Kang Seol's arm and said,
〔It's okay.〕
"......"
〔Lament hid too.〕
* * *
About a week after arriving, Kang Seol reached the forest.
Even without light, day and night existed.
Just not marked by sun or moon.
Grrrr...
Thud...
Thud...
He'd call the bipedal beasts prowling the forest night beasts. He'd done so in the past.
'It's been a while...'
Night beasts appeared only at night.
Or rather, their appearance defined night—chicken or egg.
Their sizes varied wildly.
Some like small hills, others far smaller than humans.
'Can I take them down?'
Kang Seol's current power was the power of the mind from Watara's Ruins.
And half-baked Night Raven without shadow summons.
Even that hadn't fully formed—his body barely half-transformed.
'How am I even alive?'
Surviving such trials might be a miracle.
Fortunately, he knew how to exit the first gateway—or precisely, navigate to the second.
'Hunt night beasts and gather darkness.'
The problem: no clue how much remained.
'No, the horse said it'd be felt... so I'll sense it too.'
Checking how much darkness was needed was pointless anyway.
His goal here wasn't the Pitch-Black Labyrinth's reward, but growth.
He had no plans to leave until satisfied.
As night fell, Kang Seol sensed night beasts gathering in the forest one by one.
He'd worried about fighting blind, but an unexpected boon came: the power of the mind from Watara's Ruins proved hugely effective.
It pierced the night beasts' essence.
Like fluorescent paint, revealing their positions and movements precisely.
The problem was...
Urk...
The night beasts' essence itself.
Souls stuffed in black shells.
Failed souls, perhaps.
Unclear if they'd died in the labyrinth.
No weapons, attire far from battle-ready.
Human-shaped night beasts had no pupils, like walking corpses.
No reason left.
Hoo...
Hooo...
'I can do this.'
For the first time in ages, a fight without relying on Night Raven.
Flash-!
Kang Seol confidently dashed forward.
Grrrrr...
The night beast reflexively turned.
Screee-!
He slashed sword from above down.
But.
Kagagagak-!
"What the...?"
He'd targeted the smallest size, easiest soul, yet couldn't sever the ulna—the forearm bone.
Crackle...
"Grraaah..."
The night beast grabbed Kang Seol's shoulder with its other arm. That single strike dizzied his mind.
Splat-!
Kang Seol kicked hard, but instead of the beast budging, the recoil flung him back.
"Haa... haa..."
- All easy mode till now lol, so struggling with the hard stuff?
- Doesn't like it raw...
- Lol everyone else grew up grinding lololol
Kang Seol's vision was pitch black, but viewers seemed to see the screen fine.
Flash-!
Not his sword arm, so he let Primordial Blood heal as he charged again.
'Aim for the neck!'
Fortunately, night beasts weren't fast.
Just insanely tough.
Crackle...
Kang Seol wrapped Night Raven energy around his hand.
It soon turned like the night beast's skin.
He burrowed into its guard, elbowing the armpit with his sword arm's elbow.
Taaaaang-!
'It works!'
The night beast's arm jerked up unnaturally.
Perfect neck opening, but distance off.
Whoosh-!
Kang Seol spun fiercely, slashing horizontally.
The night beast's other hand swung at his neck; he bent at right angle to block with Lament.
'Cut!'
Swooooosh-!
Stinging sensation as sword sliced wrist.
Simultaneously, hand and head floated up.
Splat-!
Even headless, nerves firing, it kicked Kang Seol.
Kwajik-!
"Kuhuk..."
Kang Seol flew into a tree.
Bad impact—he couldn't even twitch.
Ruuuumble...
The night beast collapsed.
[You gather darkness.]
[A tiny bit of darkness accumulates.]
[Grace of darkness descends.]
[Unexpected talent! Awaken mid-level swordsmanship.]
[You quite adeptly comprehend sword movements.]
......
Positive messages rang, but Kang Seol didn't lift his head.
Victory, but one slip and death.
'What... am I doing?'
Acting like he was something with this skill.
Proving Night Raven state wasn't truly his: a pathetic sloppy fight.
"Grraaah..."
Primordial Blood needed more time to heal.
Kang Seol flopped like a flounder, suffering.
Lament placed a hand on his head.
〔It's okay.〕
"......"
〔It's your first time.〕
Hearing Lament, Kang Seol lay prone longer, enduring the pain.
For the first time in ages, he briefly recalled first arriving in Pandea.