Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Shadows of the Labyrinth
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My question made Gung-gi's ears perk up sharply.
"No need to do anything special there. We're just going out for some fresh air."
Gung-gi seemed to mull it over quite seriously.
Wearing an expression just like that, he began pondering for a moment.
But only for a moment.
The little guy whipped his head away.
His red eyes were fixed on some point outside the window, as always.
"Got it. You must have your reasons."
At times like this, I regretted the limits of my ability, which only let me glimpse the simple emotional state of familiars.
If only I could figure out what he was craning his neck toward, waiting so eagerly for.
I gave his head one last stroke before heading to the bathroom.
Tomorrow night, we'd be entering the dungeon.
The gate was set to open around midnight.
The inside of the maze dungeon was pitch black.
It was so dark I half-wondered if we'd failed to pass through the gate completely.
"Why's it so damn dark?"
Just as I heard Yang Hwa-yeon grumbling from up ahead, a fist-sized fireball flared up in midair.
"Whoa, a maze right from the start."
Thanks to the fireball, I could finally make out the entrance to a sturdy stone maze.
A straight path stretched out ahead of us, fresh out of the gate, but it soon curved off to the right.
"Maybe I should've brought Cheong-su along."
In that instant, I suddenly missed Im Cheong-su, whom we'd left outside for this large-scale dungeon.
More precisely, his familiar, Im Maeng-i.
With that guy's abilities, we could've found the way somehow.
I considered calling him in now, but quickly dismissed the thought.
Im Cheong-su was still the type to sleep with a nightlight on.
It was obvious he'd struggle to take even a single step in this inky blackness.
"Justice Guild takes point; Magma handles rear guard. We'll rotate after some time."
With Kang Han's words, our formation fell into place.
Of course, Han Ji-seong, Yang Hwa-yeon, and I were smack in the middle, protected by both groups.
Especially me, with zero offensive power—I needed all the protection I could get.
"Nayeo-ju, don't stray from my side."
Yu Jin-rok, who'd joined us for this raid, gripped my shoulder firmly as he spoke.
"Got it."
Having someone dedicated solely to my safety was incredibly reassuring.
Not counting the fact that I was supposed to cause an incident in this maze dungeon.
"Alright, let's move!"
Yang Hwa-yeon shouted boldly.
But nothing happened right away.
True to its large-scale status, the maze was vast.
Or at least, it felt that way.
Being a maze, it was impossible to gauge the dungeon's overall size.
One thing was certain, though.
"We're in for a lot of walking."
Even in a straight-shot dungeon of this scale, clearing it took days.
A winding maze like this, full of dead ends? It'd demand several times the effort and time.
As we trudged on endlessly, boredom creeping in, I looked up at the maze walls.
The walls stretched endlessly upward.
Not just tall—they seemed to have no top at all.
"Jumping over the walls won't work, huh."
Yu Jin-rok chuckled dryly at my words.
"If it did, we'd clear it in no time. Mazes aren't totally hintless, though."
"Hints?"
A weird, choking caw echoed from afar just as I asked.
Yu Jin-rok pointed toward the sound.
"Where there's a monster, there's a path."
Yeah, something felt off.
The subtle unease I'd felt since summoning those giant crows in the simulation training ground finally made sense.
Crows are better described as a "flock."
Kyaarrr—
Ke-eok—
Kreee—
A massive clearing inside the maze was packed with over a dozen jet-black crows, their yellow eyes glaring as they menacingly flapped their wings at us.
And they were huge.
Each one was the size of a small car.
The silver lining? They didn't seem eager to attack first.
"Eek, kinda scary."
"Scared?"
Kang Han asked me.
"Yeah. And a bit of a waste, too."
"Of what?"
"If these monsters are edible, we could've had a feast. With the guild master here, and Magma's guild master too. Bet they'd grill up nice. You know?"
"Nayeo-ju-ssi, you're one of a kind. You know that?"
"I'll take it as a compliment."
"It is."
Kang Han smiled at me, relaxed.
Pling—
His affection level rose too.
...What did I even do?
"Nayeo-ju-ya."
Yu Jin-rok called me then.
"Yes? Yeah."
Before retreating to the safest rear with him, I said to Kang Han,
"How about letting out Baek Young?"
"There are too many monsters, though?"
"True, but it seems perfect for testing how he'll react to them."
"Yeah! Kang Han, you hang back with Baek Young this time. I'm curious too!"
Magma's guild master agreed with me.
"Alright."
Kang Han nodded and summoned Baek Young from his subsapce.
I pulled out my Baek-ho and cradled him.
Whether he'd been deep in sleep inside, their drowsy eyes blinked as they burrowed into their bonded master's arms out of habit.
Kieee—
Until they heard the shadow crows' eerie cries.
Baek Young and Baek-ho's gazes snapped toward the monsters like arrows.
And they leaped to the ground.
Before Kang Han or I could stop them—it happened in a flash.
"Shaa-!"
"Grraang!"
These were cries I'd never heard from them while raising them.
And then the transformation began.
Baek Young went first.
His slender, thread-snake body swelled instantly into a massive serpent's size.
His thumb-sized head grew to the span of two adult male palms, and razor-sharp fangs sprouted from his gaping maw.
"Baek Young!"
Kang Han called his name, but Baek Young didn't even glance back.
His pale blue eyes blazed with fury, locked solely on the flock of crows perched in the distance.
Next was my Baek-ho.
His white fur bristled all over, and his cute paws and chubby body began to expand.
Krunch.
The solid maze floor cracked as long, thick claws emerged from his four paws.
His fluffy baby down gave way to coarse, tough hide, and his black stripes darkened intensely.
"Rooaaar-!"
With a mighty roar, the fully transformed Baek-ho had grown massive enough to completely block me from view.
"Wh-what?!"
"They just... got bigger...."
"Is this allowed to happen?!"
Stunned guild members shouted from all around.
"...Baek Young, Baek-ho."
Kang Han stood frozen in shock, merely calling their names.
As I gauged the grown Baek-ho's size, I glanced around at the others.
Seemed like I needed to react somehow too.
"...Eek."
Nothing to be done about how awkward it was.
At this point, knowing full well from Sejong Memoirs that Baek-ho and Baek Young would transform big upon encountering monsters—acting like I had no clue and freaking out convincingly? I'd have gone pro actor ages ago.
Anyway, the familiars' sudden growth matched the novel exactly.
Since it happened earlier than in the story, I'd made an excuse to bring them into the dungeon just in case.
Now confirmed, all good.
"Na Baek-ho, Kang Baek Young, now...."
I was about to pull the familiars back when—
"Kyat—!"
"Grooong!"
With menacing growls, Baek Young and Baek-ho shot toward the crow flock at blinding speed.