Chapter 76
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Labyrinth of Auksol (4)
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Labyrinth of Auksol (4)
...Thank you.
On our way out after clearing the eighth room, Mokagun, who was behind me, spoke in a voice like a stretched-out rubber band.
It was nothing. The moment I saw the atrocities committed by those magic bandits, I felt my stomach turn as well.
It seems I am only ever indebted to you, Lord Yuren.
It was true. The moment Findolf described how the merchants had died, more than ten ways to kill him painfully had flashed through my mind like lightning.
Thank you for avenging my comrades. I will repay you, even if it takes a lifetime.
Mokagun seemed more grateful for the vengeance exacted upon his comrades killer than for his own life being saved.
Our merchant company is called Sirion. Its a new company started by Kendig, who used to work for one of the continents ten great merchant guilds. We had just managed to open trade with the desert tribes and thought good days were finally ahead
So you haven't completed the trade yet?
No. We were attacked at an oasis while traveling to trade with them.
Then you have something to do once you leave this place, Mokagun.
Pardon?
Mokagun stared at me with a dumbfounded expression, as if asking what I was talking about.
You must finish the Sirion Companys final trade, wouldn't you say?
What do you mean by that
Mokagun gulped at my words.
Surely you weren't planning on just going home? Shouldn't you finish the last task left by your comrades, the final trade under the name of the Sirion Company?
Ah!
As if snapping back to his senses, Mokagun let out a sharp cry of realization. He slapped his own cheeks hard.
Thats right. Even if Im the only one left, I must complete the trade. A merchants life is built on trust, after all.
The light returned to Mokaguns dead eyes.
Thank you for helping me see. I almost made my comrades out to be men without integrity. I will complete the trade, no matter what it takes.
I will help you. Lets talk about the details once were out of the labyrinth.
Thank you!
I gave Mokagun a satisfied smile and stepped through the sunset-colored door.
Flash.
Huh?
Hmm
The ninth room was completely different from what I had expected. Instead of a familiar place like before, a completely new scene appeared.
A steering wheel?
At the very front of the room were three control devices that looked like car steering wheels attached to stone pillars.
In front of the controls was a massive wall, onto which light was being projected from the ceiling. There were three projections: the shape of the sun, the shape of the moon, and a background.
I see what this is.
It seemed we had to use those wheels to adjust the sun, moon, and background to complete a picture, which would then open the door to the next room.
Another puzzle.
A puzzle?
Problems like this that require you to use your head to solve them are called puzzles.
Ah, I see.
Mokagun nodded, seeming to understand.
However, this isn't just an ordinary puzzle.
Pardon? If its not ordinary
Stay back for now.
Leaving Mokagun in the safe zone, I crossed the white line.
Guooooh.
The moment I crossed the line, monsters burst out from the floor. They appeared from behind the right and left wheels, but not the middle one.
Guooooh!
From behind the right wheel, an orc emerged. Its skin was a deeper red than a red orcs, and it had a massive torso.
Keeeeuh
From behind the left wheel, a mummy wrapped in spotless bandages shot up. Its bandages writhed as if they were alive.
Couldn't they have made the last one a bit easier as a freebie?
It seemed the way to clear this room was to solve the puzzle while dealing with these monsters.
Swoosh.
I used my arcing technique to throw a dagger at each of the monsters. The daggers moved like bees, striking the orc in the crown of its head and the mummy in its abdomen.
Grrr
Guooooh
Even with a dagger embedded in the center of its head, the orc charged toward me before the poison took effect and it collapsed. The mummy, being undead, dissolved into dust from the Bone Melting Powder.
Click.
After dealing with the monsters, I tried moving the right-hand wheel. The projected sun on the wall moved slightly in the direction I turned the wheel.
So this is how it works.
Grrrr.
Just as I thought, another orc appeared from behind the right wheel.
Dont tell me, does one pop out every time I turn this?
When I turned the left wheel, a mummy began to crawl up from behind it. Fortunately, turning the middle wheel didnt spawn anything; it only changed the background on the wall.
Gruk!
Keeeuh.
One more of each monster appeared. This time, it seemed they spawned because a certain amount of time had passed.
Thwack!
Thwack!
I threw my daggers and eliminated them before they could fully materialize. This wasn't some transformation sequence from a cartoon; there was no need to wait for them to assume their final form.
If they always spawn in the same spot, this should be easy to handle.
I turned both wheels again. The monsters emerged from the exact same places as before. After dealing with them, I took out my magic pouch.
In the spots where the monsters appeared, I laid down hidden weapons made of sharp iron spikes interlinked together.
These weapons, shaped like burdock burrs, were the poisoned caltrops that appeared at least once in every martial arts novel.
Bone Melting Powder for the mummies, obviously, and Blood-Clotting Poison should work well on the orcs.
I coated the caltrops with poisons that would exploit their weaknesses and turned the wheels again.
Guooooh
Kekeke
The mummies stepped on the caltrops and turned to dust before they could even reach me, while the orcs blood coagulated, causing them to collapse to the floor, unable to get up.
Without me having to lift a finger, the monsters were clocking out on their own.
These caltrops are handy.
Now I could turn the wheels without any worries.
It must be dawn.
The goal here was obviously to combine the sun and moon to create a dawn scene. I was experimenting, having turned all three wheels one full rotation each.
Pop.
A single yellow slime popped out from behind the middle wheel. It was enveloped in a transparent shield-like barrier.
Clang!
A labyrinth-wide defensive barrier.
I threw a dagger, but the barrier surrounding the slime didn't even get a scratch. This was definitely not the slimes own ability.
It seems to be getting bigger. Don't tell me
To confirm if it was the slime I was thinking of, I activated my eyes.
Explosion Slime
A slime born with the mana of explosion within it. It absorbs surrounding mana to increase its body size and explosive power. The size of the explosion is proportional to the size of the slime.
It was indeed an Explosion Slime. The larger it grew, the more dangerous the situation would become, but I couldnt take my eyes off the wall above the slime.
Can I see this?
The Creator's Eye was showing me everythingwhere the sun should be, what shape the moon should take, and which background was correct.
Whirrrr.
Ignoring the expanding Explosion Slime, I turned the three wheels.
Woooong.
As I aligned the lights according to what I saw, a red light shone on the sun and a blue light on the moon, blending with the background to create a magnificent dawn.
Shaaaa.
Chiiiing.
As the light of dawn descended upon the floor, the swelling slime and the other monsters vanished, and the door to the tenth room opened.
That that was truly amazing
Mokagun, who had been watching from behind with his hands clasped, finally spoke.
Ive only heard of the phrase master of both mind and might. This is the first time Ive seen someone who truly deserves to be called that.
Master of both mind and might?
You eliminate any monster in an instant and solve difficult problems with ease. If thats not being a master of both mind and might, what is?
I was just lucky this time.
If I hadn't been able to see the solution, dealing with that slime would have been quite a pain.
Lets go. This is the last one.
Yes.
We stepped through the entrance to the tenth room.
Ziiiing.
The tenth room was remarkably ordinary. It could have been mistaken for an empty office or classroom. If it weren't for the desert fox with perked-up ears standing before me.
Impressive. You are the first human to break through the Ninth Room of Dawn.
The-the fox is talking!
This fox is the one whos been speaking to us all this time.
That majestic voice belonged to this fox?
Mokaguns jaw dropped in astonishment as he stared at the desert fox. This was Mogurus, the spirit of the labyrinth.
Do not call me a fox. I am Mogurus, the spirit and guardian of this labyrinth.
Mogurus?
Wait a moment.
Mogurus had the appearance of a cute desert fox, but his voice and manner of speaking were that of a tough guy.
The one who entered the path at night will arrive shortly.
N-no, you cant.
Mokagun waved his hands in protest at Moguruss words.
We arrived first. Shouldn't we be the ones to take the test first?
You are correct.
Mogurus nodded.
Then lets begin the test right a
The final test is different from what you imagine. It is not something that takes a few minutes or hours, but a trial that continues for days. To be honest, I dont think either of you will pass. Waiting two minutes will make no difference.
But
Its fine.
I stopped Mokagun as he was about to argue again. I was trying to hold back a smile, anticipating how Moguruss smug expression would change.
Ziiiing.
Just as Mogurus had said, two minutes later, Ovis entered, caked in blood. He looked exhausted, but the fire in his eyes was still alive.
So it is him.
His cloak was torn, revealing his attire. What particularly caught my eye was the black knuckle duster Ovis wore on his hand.
This was the Fist Master with the black knuckle duster that Aenin had mentioned on Mount Pimera.
The man who was supposed to become the king of the fighting arena had somehow joined Sephiroth.
Now its clear.
Not just Beil, but all of Sephiroth had started moving faster than in the original story. Id have to investigate this guy once I got out.
What is it this time? Do I just have to kill that guy?
Thud.
Ovis cracked his knuckles together as he looked at me.
No. You cannot fight each other in this place.
A pity.
Ovis glared at me with feral eyes. I met his gaze without flinching.
Since everyone is gathered, we will now begin the test.
Mogurus floated into the air. His fox eyes began to glow yellow.
The one who conquers themselves is the one who will conquer this labyrinth!
A yellow light shot out from Moguruss eyes and flew toward my head, as well as Mokaguns and Oviss.
The moment the light hit them, Mokaguns and Oviss eyes went slack as if they had fainted. They had been pulled into Moguruss mental world.
But nothing happened to me.
Ting!
The Iron Wall of Raktor blocks the Ego Proelium attempting to invade your mind.
Huh?
Seeing my unfazed expression, Mogurus tilted his head, then emitted the light once more.
I must have made a mistake. I will cast it again.
Ting!
The Iron Wall of Raktor blocks the Ego Proelium attempting to invade your mind.
Ugh!
When it failed again, Moguruss fox eyes bulged as if they would pop out, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth.
Th-this is
I passed, right? Open the door.
I-impossible!
The proficiency of my Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi was five-star, but thanks to absorbing a great deal of poison with my Poison Absorption Force recently, the amount of my internal energy had piled up like crazy.
In terms of sheer volume, it was even greater than the aura of a master like Huraken.
The Iron Wall of Raktor was designed to block mental attacks based on the amount of internal energy. Faced with my overflowing energy, Moguruss Ego Proelium was useless.
What are you doing? The test is over.
No, how
Stop being surprised and open the door to the reward room.
Are you are you immune to mental infiltration?
You saw it happen, why are you asking?
Ah
Mogurus let out a sigh as if his soul had left his body.
I-I cannot accept this
Cut the nonsense.
What?
Your role is to use mental infiltration magic on the people who come here, and thats it. It doesnt matter if I block the attack or endure it. Someone who passes is someone who passes.
H-how do you know that
Mogurus, who had been floating in the air, seemed to have lost the strength to fly and landed on the floor. Without looking back, I walked toward the end of the room.
Chiiiing.
As I reached the end of the room, a door began to open on its own.
Well then, Im leaving.
W-wait a moment!
What is it?
I-I will test you one more time. This time, I will use my full power, so lets try it just once more.
Youve already used two mental attacks on me. Isnt that against the rules to begin with?
Th-thats
Moguruss pupils shimmered like boiling water. The labyrinth spirit, who had lived for eons, was at a loss before me.
If you have nothing else to say, Im going in.
Wait! Th-then lets make a bet.
A bet?
I wore a questioning look, but inwardly, I was smiling. Everything was going as planned.
Y-yes. If you accept my bet and win, I will add an extra ability to the labyrinths reward.
Hmm.
As I remained silent, he looked at me with anxious eyes.
But isnt this strange?
Wh-what is?
You used your magic on me twice. That means the next one is the third time. You need to do your math properly.
Ugh, if you withstand this next magic, I will add two abilities to the reward.
Okay.
I smiled as if Id been waiting for this and answered immediately.
Poof!
As if to use his full power, Mogurus transformed from a desert fox into a stunningly handsome man with yellow hair and eyes.
Woooong.
His aura was completely different from when he was a desert fox.
At this point, I was slightly worried if I could withstand it, but I decided to trust my overflowing internal energy and the holy stone necklace around my neck.
This is my full power!
Chiiiing!
An energy sphere shot from Moguruss clasped hands toward my head. It was five times larger than the light I had seen before.
Fzzzzzt!
Hmph!
Moguruss mental magic was certainly powerful. I could feel the internal energy in my dantian churning like a tidal wave.
But that was all.
Ting!
The Iron Wall of Raktor blocks the Ego Proelium attempting to invade your mind.
Aah!
Realizing his attack had failed, the light vanished from Moguruss eyes. He collapsed to his knees on the floor.
Seeing the soulless Mogurus, I smirked and patted his shoulder.
What are you doing? You should be getting ready to grant the abilities.