The Gatekeeper's Fall
Inside it, the engraved Star Letters came into view.
Soul Stone interference. For now, it wasn't about completely rewriting the Star Letters—just summoning black fog to obscure the light.
'Call up a bad sector to glitch it out for a bit.'
It could suppress the automaton's movements, if only briefly. Even the hornets, which had some resistance to Rune Letter cards, couldn't ignore it this time.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The swarm of flying hornets began dropping to the ground one by one. For minor malfunctions, their wings simply bent; in worse cases, their heads shattered.
After that, Allen didn't even need to lift a finger. The panther locked onto the enemies and charged, pinning the hornets under its paws.
Compared to a house cat's playful kneading, this was something else entirely. The panther was tiger-sized, and its outer armor and frame were solid metal.
'Gotta be over 200kg.'
With all the added parts, he wasn't entirely sure.
In any case, the hornets crushed flat under the panther's paws were done for. As aerial combat automatons, their armor was thin for flight, making them shatter easily.
Normally, the panther would just pin them down while Allen leisurely disassembled the still-writhing ones, but right now, the gatekeeper was waiting.
Allen tossed the Soul Stone and mana stone the panther had brought—clamped firmly in its jaws—onto the cart and hopped aboard.
As he backtracked a short way along their path, Karkda burst out from the darkness. He was coming to help as promised.
His hands and legs trembled so violently he looked pitiful. He'd said he was exhausted, and it hadn't been a joke.
With half-lidded eyes, Karkda asked laboriously,
"Enemies? How many?"
"Ten of them."
"Are they... retreating, by any chance?"
"No. They're gone now."
Realizing Allen had wiped them out single-handedly, Karkda's jaw dropped. Allen's usual calm voice reached his ear.
"Are the eye beam patterns over? I was hoping to watch."
Eye (5)
Allen loaded Karkda onto the cart and hurriedly returned to the battlefield. Even though it was close, the black fog made it impossible to see ahead, amplifying his impatience.
"Phew... looks like no trouble."
Karkda let out a deep sigh of relief as he rejoined his comrades. Allen waited in the rear, just as before.
The shield generator had shattered blocking the eye beams, and the mages leaned against the walls or propped themselves up with staffs to keep from collapsing.
The gatekeeper hunched its upper body, hammer planted in front as a brace, defending against Dennis's strikes.
Each time Dennis's short sword grazed it, a blue light flickered briefly before vanishing.
'Mana sword, huh.'
Unlike auras, aura blades—also called sword energy or sword beams—the pinnacles of enlightenment.
While sword energy and sword beams were the goals pursued by mana users strengthening their bodies with mana, the mana sword was a magitech weapon.
Like lasers or plasma cutters slicing through materials, mana swords served a similar purpose.
Essential for labyrinth explorers who couldn't wield auras and favored close combat.
The mana sword's lethal power synergized with Dennis's swift footwork, relentlessly pressuring the gatekeeper.
With each flick of his wrist, scars appeared on the gatekeeper's outer armor, red sparks flying in contrast to the sword's blue glow.
The gatekeeper's eye lights blinked slowly. Though charging and growing brighter over time, it would take a while to fully recover.
Dennis dodged a horizontal swipe—like swatting a fly—by leaping back and shouted,
"Next spell ready?!"
The gatekeeper's outer armor was ragged, but it was just surface damage—nothing penetrating deep.
"Quit nagging!"
Staggering mages responded to the urging, hauling themselves upright. At the same time, one vanguard pulled three cylinders from a pouch at his waist and jabbed them into his comrades' left shoulders.
Combat stimulants packed with cardiac boosters, awakeners, nutrients, and more. Small enough to grip in the hand, with tiny needles at the tips injecting the drugs.
"Stimulants will kick in quick, so you guys stand by."
At Karkda's order, the three vanguards gripped their blunt weapons and crept toward the gatekeeper.
The combat stimulants reignited the mages' spirits, and they prepared a combined spell once more.
Chains of Frost
The ice spears they'd forged with magic melted into water, mingling with the labyrinth's humidity before reforming into pristine white chains surging from the floor.
Steaming with cold vapor, the chains bound the gatekeeper's arms without gap. Even as its struggles cracked the ice, continuous mana supply repaired them.
The vanguards, with Dennis at the fore, charged. Their movements and evasion skills were impressive.
To an outsider, it looked masterful, but Allen read the awkwardness beneath.
'Abilities from brain expansion surgery, probably.'
Staring at the vanguards' napes as if peering into magitech gear, he spotted it: at the base of the cerebellum, where neck met head, a small magitechwear implant.
'Magitechwear that maxes out reflexes. Reflex Axle, right?'
Layer mana-enhanced senses on top, and you got even superior prowess.
Even restrained by chains, that bulk and mass meant every blow was potentially fatal.
Slow by explorer standards, sure—but to a civilian, it was like heavy machinery whistling through the air.
Still, the vanguards dodged its swings handily. Arching backs to evade arms, then snapping forward with core strength to smash down with their weapons.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With three vanguards, it echoed like pounding percussion through the labyrinth.
Just as the mages had pushed through exhaustion with spells, the vanguards aimed to drop the gatekeeper fast.
This weakened state during rapid recharge was their window. Indeed, its body was scrap-metal comparable now, unlike at the start.
"Almost got it! Faster!"
As the gatekeeper staggered, Dennis bellowed. At the same moment, blue light flickered briefly over the vanguards' bodies.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Their strikes accelerated dramatically. They dodged attacks by hairsbreadths without halting their assault.
Using magitechwear and mana together to borrow superhuman strength was called overclocking—side effects aside, the effect was tremendous.
Dodge by a fraction, thrust weapons forward. Even if grazed, Dennis's quick movements covered them.
It was an organic combined assault, like felling a tree. Finally, the gatekeeper toppled sideways. Its eye lights, once bright as mana lanterns, went dark.
"Woooah!"
Cheers erupted briefly. Vanguards embraced vanguards, mages hugged mages.
They'd taken down the gatekeeper without Allen's help. A proper showing from a party dead-set on claiming it.
'Minus their sloppy hornet response...'
After a short breather to recover, Dennis approached Allen.
"I was tied up with the gatekeeper, but you said another automaton swarm hit?"
"Individuals resembling hornets."
Allen showed off the collected mana stones and Soul Stones.
"Even in the narrower labyrinth, flying ones are tough... Thanks."
"I got a good show out of it too."
He'd witnessed firsthand what happened when explorers pooled their strength. Human cooperation yielded more than simple addition.
Plus, he'd seen exactly how the gatekeeper moved. Even chatting with Dennis, one corner of his mind planned how he would counter it.
Amid small talk, Dennis dropped welcome news.
"Need any parts? Or cash instead?"
"In that case, I'd like the gatekeeper's eye or a Soul Stone."
Allen didn't refuse. Some insisted on polite deflection first, but he hated wasting time.
Dennis consulted his comrades briefly. No frowns or objections.
They knew: without Allen, they'd be fleeing, not victorious. Survival and injuries weren't guaranteed.
Discussion wrapped quickly.
"You can have the eye. But we need proof of the kill, so after we exit."
"I can wait that long, of course. Oh, mind if I inspect the Soul Stone on the way up?"
"Just don't break it."
"Naturally."
The gatekeeper's eyes and Soul Stones were prime loot. Eyes fired high-output beams, perfect for industrial or combat use; Soul Stones had high demand for walker tanks or auxiliary AI in computers.
As the gatekeeper's body was dismantled and loaded onto the cart, Allen examined the broken magitech gear. Revived Karkda peered over his shoulder.
"Shield generator's fixable."
"Then we could hunt another gatekeeper later."
"Strength's weakened now—no good. Remember, it was single-use."
"Mood killer. Still handy for emergencies."
"That's the point."
"True. Dangerous work or not, life's priority one."
Allen stared at Karkda. Utterly obvious words, yet odd coming from a labyrinth explorer.
Explorers were thrill addicts of a sort. They chased danger. Like extreme sports junkies.
Captivated by the rush of risking life. Allen, pursuing body upgrades and knowledge in the labyrinth, might end up the same someday.
Disassembly done, the party gathered.
"Shall we check out the 11th layer?"
"Pull up the map."
Instead of paper, light beamed from a mage's eye, forming a square holographic map in the air.
"We're here? Hour's walk, tops."
"Gatekeeper down, so at least two days before reset. Let's peek."
"I saw it before—nothing special."
"When another party took the gatekeeper? Feels different doing it ourselves."
Consensus leaned toward scouting, and Allen trailed the party.
The descent to the 11th was shrouded in thicker darkness than usual—like the labyrinth entrance itself, sucking you in just by looking.
On the way down, Allen unconsciously massaged his temples and ears. A buzzing filled his head.
Karkda, walking beside him, noticed.
"Labyrinth resonance sickness?"
"Yeah. Worse than going up and down layers."
"Your mana sensitivity and senses are off the charts. Better than mine, a mage's. Ever thought about magic?"
"Building stuff's way more fun..."
Allen fell silent. The 11th layer was a cave reeking of artificiality.
The once-jagged floor was polished smooth—perfect for carts. Almost like an unfinished labyrinth stretch.
No plans to go deep, so they climbed back to the 10th.
Gatekeeper slain, the 10th posed no trouble. No unlucky automaton swarms either.
One party, eyeing their cart—likely gatekeeper-hunting themselves—sighed enviously but respected the no-approach rule.
They resupplied at the 9th layer camp and headed topside.
Whenever resting, Allen fiddled with the gatekeeper's eye. He even yanked out cables to link it to the Soul Stone.
Dennis handed him soup and asked,
"Whatcha planning? Slap it on that tiger there for gatekeeper-style eye beams? Handy ace for lighting fires or fighting people."
"Not that."
"Then?"
"Secret. Oh, and it's a panther, not a tiger."
"Whatever. Looks solid pulling the cart. Hire it?"
"Smooth mana supply, and it'd work. No magiengineer means no combat, but cart duty'd lighten your load."
"Ah, mana supply. That's the snag."
Dennis spoke of delving deeper into the layers