Chapter 363
Chapter 363
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 363
>Chapter Title: The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board
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I nearly nodded without thinking the moment I heard it.
The labyrinth was a place teeming with the dead.
The living could be counted on one hand, Kang Seol included.
‘Transport the dead to the world of the living?’
It was a thorny request.
The ghosts’ hands were already those of the departed.
Yet the dead insisted that Shin Yu was different from them.
If they were saying that much…
“I’ll do my best.”
At Kang Seol’s words, not only the solemn Shinlip but even the lively Shinhyeon gave awkward smiles.
“Thank you, truly.”
‘They want to restore freedom to a brother who’s already dead and become a ghost…’
What an odd pair of brothers.
Of course, Shin Yu was included among them.
‘Even so, to track him down and wake him with such a brute-force method…’
What would he have done if he hadn’t found Shinlip and Shinhyeon?
No, he wasn’t the type to begin with.
Recalling Shin Yu from Shin Kang’s perspective after so long, he was stubborn and would force through whatever he set his mind to.
‘This time, luck was on his side in a big way…’
It was a miracle born from Shin Yu’s nature.
“Is there anything blocking your training?”
While Kang Seol reminisced about the past, Shinlip asked about his progress.
He paused to choose his words before replying.
“I plan to figure it out myself.”
Shinlip and Shinhyeon looked mildly surprised.
They’d only given him the task to ponder without teaching anything directly, but they’d planned to pass on what was needed once he was ready. Yet Kang Seol was putting it off.
“Hmm…”
“Ho…”
Nod…
“An excellent decision. Then we’ll leave you to it for the time being. If you need help, just say the word. We’ll assist as much as we can.”
“Thank you.”
However, before Shinhyeon left, he added something.
“Heh heh… We’ll do that much, but who knows about Shin Yu…”
Shinlip glared at Shinhyeon.
“You, have you met that child?”
“Sort of by chance… He asked about the humans wandering the labyrinth.”
“…What did you tell him?”
“Just… something vague.”
“And his reaction?”
“Pretty nonchalant.”
“Hm… Fine.”
Shinlip left Kang Seol with a word of caution.
“Shin Yu has a stubborn streak. He might test you. If something you can’t handle shows up, assume it’s him. He has no intention of harming you, so we won’t intervene. It might even provoke him if we do.”
Shin Yu might come looking.
Kang Seol felt uneasy but acknowledged it for now.
* * *
Life returned to its previous rhythm after that day.
Meaning, back to before meeting Shinlip and Shinhyeon.
Training and rest by day, pure hunting by night.
The hunting method had changed.
From swordsmanship to summoning.
Kwaaajiiik—!
“One down first…”
A small night beast trickled down.
Whooo…
[Darkness gathers.]
[Darkness accumulates just a little.]
[Duration: Shadows resonate with the sticky darkness.]
[Absorbing shadows.]
[Shadow space permanently increases by 30.]
[Grace of darkness descends.]
[Proficiency of shadow-related abilities rises.]
…
Every night, Kang Seol hunted at least twenty.
His shadow space had grown absurdly, but it would only matter once he escaped the labyrinth.
‘That aside… these things aren’t decreasing at all?’
Despite his nightly efforts, the night beasts seemed to increase, noticeably so.
There was a clear reason.
‘The huntable ones are still limited.’
Hunting typically favored the hunter chasing from a position of strength. If the hunter bled, it was a brawl, not a hunt.
Kang Seol named the night beasts by size: small as rabbits, medium as wolves, large as tigers.
At his current level, wolves risked injury, tigers death.
What he did now was closer to rabbit hunting.
‘I still need to be cautious against medium ones.’
If his night beast fell, he was next.
After a fortnight of hunting, Kang Seol realized something.
‘This way, it’ll just be the same day repeating.’
Nights spent desperately culling numbers, days for rest and training.
Even that scant training time often lacked focus, yielding little.
Learning through combat was fine in theory, but he lacked time to process the gains.
The darkness from hunts grew, and his shadow space dwarfed its pre-labyrinth state, but at some point, he realized:
Merely absorbing darkness to boost night beast numbers and sizes wasn’t true growth.
Something else was needed.
Even if night beasts multiplied, without beating mediums, it was pointless—and he couldn’t control them all yet.
‘To improve hunting efficiency…’
Simple.
Two solutions.
Either exclude medium obstacles and target only smalls, or summon multiple night beasts stronger than mediums.
‘实战 alone won’t cut it.’
These insights were hard to gain purely through hunting.
Better to ponder hardening an egg to rock-level than smashing it repeatedly.
Both seemed distant now, though.
‘Now’s for insight over practice.’
Beyond efficiency, he needed a new realm.
Treat combat gains like proficiency as bonuses.
‘To survive the labyrinth… I need to ponder.’
Ponder.
Maximize his current arsenal.
With that resolve, he declared to Shinlip and Shinhyeon: he’d expand daytime training, cut nighttime hunts.
They worried about night beast surges but assured him they’d handle it.
As they said, even total failure had their backup—worst case averted.
‘Having a safety net is reassuring.’
Failure was guaranteed safe.
So, challenge freely and fail boldly.
He summarized the issues.
1. At current strength, even one medium per day was taxing, with injury risk.
2. Even overcoming mediums, he couldn’t match the brothers’ daily cull.
3. He couldn’t wield night beast power properly yet.
‘All solved if I master night beasts better.’
Focus there.
But…
‘How?’
Any enhancement needed materials.
Nothing grew from grit alone.
Short of creating from nothing.
He needed parts to merge with the finished night beast product.
Fastest: teach or hand over what he had.
‘What do I have?’
Kang Seol tallied on his fingers.
Primordial Blood.
This labyrinth-gained power was likely his greatest potential now, with shadows sealed.
Experience handling powerful summons.
Night beasts were summons broadly, so similar process.
Plus creating familiars, mental strength, labyrinth-sparked spatial sense.
And reclaimed horse loyalties.
Though useless in combat so far.
Anyway…
“First…”
Primordial Blood.
No more time pressure.
Circumstances wouldn’t dictate.
Even in deadlock, steel himself.
He’d pierce the labyrinth someday, stronger then.
Just refine toward that clear vision.
Kang Seol might not be the fastest or toughest walker.
But he alone found all ten paths to ascension.
Unrivaled at finding the right path.
“Now… what to do with you…”
Kang Seol dripped blood onto a night beast’s body.
Research began now.
Another fortnight passed, and he scratched his head.
“Hmm, this is…”
He’d sidelined Primordial Blood before.
He regretted not delving deeper.
In the past, he hadn’t needed its potential.
‘Back then, I had plenty else… Should’ve entered via the blood gate?’
Definitely faster growth then.
‘With Finn Modria…’
As priest, the ability synergized naturally.
But as summoner title, honing Primordial Blood felt awkward.
Blood.
Kang Seol set a clear goal.
Grant night beasts his ruthless regeneration.
Primordial Blood was key, but injection changed nothing.
No—clotting occurred, a side effect.
Blood pooled inside.
‘Blood needs to flow… Make it flow… How?’
Make Primordial Blood circulate in night beasts.
Not easy.
Pouring water doesn’t make it flow; it pools.
Unless there’s a path.
‘…Path?’
Kang Seol closed his eyes, checking his body: Primordial Blood moved via heart-engine through vascular paths.
He had complete organs from start; blood used them perfectly.
‘Just replicate?’
Slap—!
Whirrlik—!
[Summons night beast.]
[Night beast combat power proportional to darkness used and summoner stats.]
Same-sized night beast as him.
Kang Seol sat cross-legged, palms to its.
Looked like two identical men facing, mirror-like.
Outsides matched, insides didn’t.
Kang Seol brimmed with necessities; night beast only darkness.
Post-hunt, he’d return, sit thus—sometimes sleeping.
Shinlip and Shinhyeon joked about the weirdness but cheered inwardly.
Another month.
“Haa… Done drawing.”
Like tracing masterpieces to learn art.
The night beast before him was his painstaking creation.
Heart-role: darkness core from condensed savings.
[Organ based on darkness core fuses with night beast.]
[Primordial Blood now flows in night beast body.]
[Primordial Blood regeneration proportional to progenitor realm.]
…
Kang Seol pressed ear to chest.
Slightly off heart-spot, near center. Good: shiftable mid-combat.
Thump… Thump…
- You’re in there.
- Oof, heartthrob…
Darkness core operational.
Now summon with organ ultra-fast.
“Now then…”
Kang Seol awaited night.
To test two months’ labor.
* * *
Kwajijik—!
Krurrrruk…
Medium night beast.
Wolf facing Kang Seol’s creation.
Each swing splintered foliage.
Whoooong—!
Kwaaaaang!
One punch hit, and his night beast would shatter as always.
Hence defensive fights.
‘But…’
Whoooong—!
Test time.
Two months’ results.
Kwaaajiiiik—!
Wolf’s fist crushed belly.
Punched through, fingers wriggled.
‘Now!’
Whirrlirik—!
Pierced gut regenerated insanely fast.
Before arm retract, wolf seized.
“Got it!”
Slap—!
Kang Seol summoned another.
Krurruk…
Pugaaak—!
New night beast smashed restricted wolf’s head brutally.
He’d stockpiled enough darkness for two mediums.
Wolf slumped.
His night beast opened maw, sucking it in.
Whooo…
[Night beast gathers darkness.]
[Darkness accumulates just a little.]
[Duration: Shadows resonate with sticky darkness.]
[Absorbing shadows.]
[Shadow space permanently increases by 50.]
[Grace of darkness descends.]
[Proficiency of shadow-related abilities rises.]
…
Tedious manual recovery before, now automated.
- Next bug, please!
- Genius programmer lol
Kang Seol’s chest swelled.
Two months’ toil rewarded.
Thud… Thud…
But someone disliked his triumph; trouble struck suddenly.
‘…What?’
Distant heavy footsteps.
As if: “I’m coming, wait there.”
Sound like any medium—wolf.
‘Wolf? I’ve got the edge…’
Kang Seol turned toward it, prepping.
Then—
Flash!
‘…What?’
Paaat—!
His night beasts’ heads floated up.
Both.
‘No way…’
Definitely night beast, but unseen type. Overwhelmingly strong.
This level, Shinlip and Shinhyeon should appear.
But…
Brothers didn’t.
Despite their nearby presence, no show.
‘Ah… No way…’
- Shin Yu has a stubborn streak. He might test you. If something you can’t handle shows up, assume it’s him. He has no intention of harming you, so we won’t intervene. It might even provoke him if we do.
Shinlip’s words two months back.
In crisis, Kang Seol recalled, eyed the head-severer.
Wolf, clearly.
But one arm grotesque.
Clay-like crude elsewhere, right hand delicately human.
Recognizing, he laughed hollowly.
“…You, huh. Shin Yu.”
Srak…
Wolf turned toward him.
Right hand gripped oversized twig, scribbling ground.
Srasak…
Srasak…
Writing.
Twig wiggled in right arm.
- Know me?
“Your brothers, a bit.”
Srasak…
- I see. I know you too.
Srasak…
- But you’re too weak.
Crunch…
Kang Seol gritted teeth.
Sudden mocker.
Long reunion, yet Shin Yu unchanged.
Viewers giggled at his script.
- Haha! Uncle beats nephew in a scrap! Nephew’s weak? Short reach!
- Cute, but body blow undefended! Stuff abs next time.
- 2 months? Lasted 2 secs? Pfft…
Kang Seol tried positivity.
Genius sword prodigy Shin Yu’s test.
Regeneration couldn’t withstand.
‘Found weak spots thanks to it…’
Would’ve been late vs wolf alone—good lesson.
Srasak…
- You won’t leave the labyrinth.
Had it not written that.
Kang Seol glared coldly at Shin Yu.
The curse ignited his competitive fire.
“…Wanna bet?”
Srasak…
- Bet?
“Yeah, bet. If I stay stuck here like you say, or escape.”
Srasak…
- Fine. Lose, be my chat buddy. What do I stake?
Srasak…
Kang Seol smiled, scrawled ground same way, left.
Whirlik…
Head-regenerated night beasts sucked into departing body.
Shin Yu’s wolf stood, eyeing writing.
Kang Seol’s win demand.
- You.
Concise letters in dirt.