Escaping the Endless Graveyard
Taylor grinned with satisfaction.
"This is why I can't quit exploring."
"What do you mean by that, brother?"
"It depends on the situation, but in principle, you can only 'completely' destroy plants, animals, and monsters. Rocks or dirt will regenerate even if you scratch the surface. Artificial things like tombstones are the same."
"If we just bulldoze the primordial forest, the animals won't have anywhere to hide, making hunting easier."
"Nah, that's impossible. The plants grow back way too fast. Even without rain, you wake up and they're already up to your head. Allen, you get what I'm saying, right?"
Allen nodded.
"The labyrinth has a property of returning to its original state. There are occasional places where the laws break, and the chances are high that something unusual is inside those spots. Those items don't regenerate either."
"I didn't get to see Mother in my dream last night, but to have this kind of luck... I'm looking forward to it."
"Don't get the wrong idea. 'Unusual' and 'valuable' are different things."
The characters on the tombstone were just as illegible as before. If they found something here, it might be the key to deciphering them.
Allen walked slowly. He moved in a straight line along the row of tombstones near the stairs. Midway, there were small structures that looked like rest areas, resembling brick bus stops.
Taylor glanced inside one and said,
"Probably where the gravekeepers hang out? This is the fourth one, and they're about ten minutes apart. This place must be huge below."
Allen cast his gaze toward the end of the graveyard. As expected, it was hazy and hard to see. He took in the rest area and pressed on.
The dark space, identical tombstones, and the mental fatigue from the damp air were overwhelmingly thick. Once the anticipation faded, he almost hoped something would show up.
"Sixth rest area. I have no idea how many people died to make a graveyard this massive, or if it even has an end. I'll consider this another trial from Mother. Let's go."
"Hold on. No need for that."
All eyes turned to Allen at his words. Pointing at the rest area as they awaited his explanation, he said,
"The shape of the rest areas, the size and angle of the cracks in the bricks—they're all the same. We're not exploring a vast space; we're going in circles in the same spot."
"What? Then what about the door we came down? It was right next to a rest area, but it's not here now."
"It's the labyrinth."
Answering "it's the labyrinth" explained everything perfectly. Even with countless explorers coming and going, the labyrinth's world was still full of unknowns.
Realizing they were like hamsters on a wheel, the party simply settled into a rest area. They unpacked, leaning or sitting around, watching Allen work.
The spiders that had been hiding on the peak and clinging to their back exoskeletons until now hopped down. One from the end of the two-row formation moved along the tombstones.
A spider on Allen's palm projected a screen from its abdomen. It showed the view from the scouting spider. From the low vantage point, each tombstone loomed like a massive building.
How far had it gone? The screen grew blurry, then filled with noise. The anomaly ended quickly, and the now-clear image showed Allen.
The spider he'd sent right had looped back from the left.
Shiba stroked his beard, adorned with jingling gold rings.
"Truly wondrous. You've piqued my interest."
"You're awfully calm. We're trapped right now."
"With faith and love for Mother, hardships and trials are but passing winds. Shall I baptize you while we're at it?"
"Can't get married then."
"Marriage, brother Taylor?"
Taylor's face twisted fiercely.
"Don't you know life starts at sixty?"
"Got a sweetheart? Maybe the president of Western Sky? Why does your voice shake so much when you talk to your girlfriend?"
"......"
Shiba knew full well she wasn't his girlfriend but teased anyway. From the succubus's perspective, Taylor was 'Protector 1' for an important client.
"To correct you, the Mother Church does allow marriage. One of Mother's teachings is love—how could there be no love among the faithful?"
"Cut the nonsense and shut up. Can't you see he's concentrating?"
Allen sat with his eyes closed. The spiders circled their master, the radius gradually expanding.
In Allen's mind, six screens unfolded. Four camera eyes per spider made it twenty-four, really.
He sifted through the complex feeds for anomalies. If Kiki were here instead, the brain expansion device's computations would overheat, bursting the water-cooling pipes.
After a long silence, Allen opened his eyes. Shiba, who had been crouching, turned toward him.
"Found it, brother? Or maybe Star Letters can help? A lamp lights the darkness?"
"I looked for grid patterns like on the sarcophagus head, but nothing. Need more time to think."
Allen sank back into thought, hours passing. Shiba and Taylor, who had taken turns sleeping, rose.
"Brother, isn't the staff the gravekeeper held suspicious?"
"Maybe it's a key for somewhere else? If it was meant for here, Sion wouldn't have just left. She'd have tried sending it somehow."
"Keys don't open just one lock. Or this trial itself might be the process to forge the true key."
Allen reached for the staff with open eyes. Its silver-gray surface was smooth, resembling a steel pipe.
"I thought about the gravekeeper's job. Blocking grave robbers, preparing spots for new residents—tending the graveyard."
"So?"
"The gravekeeper wouldn't damage the graveyard. That leaves only the buildings we called rest areas."
Allen tapped a rest area's bricks with the staff's tip. Spacious enough for one person to stretch out and sleep.
"Let's smash it."
No sooner had he spoken than Taylor's kick and Shiba's fist struck the bricks. Pent-up boredom made their blows brutal.
When they'd reduced it to a third, the two paused mid-demolition.
The displaced bricks evaporated like a mirage, leaving flat ground where the rest area had been. A hole gaped in the center.
Any eye would see it matched the staff's girth. Allen thrust it deep; mana vibrated.
Mana swirled around the site. Tombstones crumbled to dust, joining the vortex. It compressed, slamming into the embedded staff.
When the phenomenon ended, Allen pulled out the staff. Its surface was now densely etched with tiny, intricate characters—small enough to mistake for lines or patterns.
Hard to call them letters, really. Up close, they'd look like blank '□□□' spaces.
By the time Allen looked up, the graveyard was gone. Only a rough-dug cavity remained.
"A massive illusion spell. Indistinguishable from reality..."
Extraordinary magic or mystery. Allen couldn't gauge the power of whatever had cast it here.
Shiba gaped before calling to him.
"Brother. What do the staff's characters mean?"
"Tombstones usually have set inscriptions."
"Birth date, death date, last words, and name... No way?"
"I think it's names."
Only dirt left in the cavity. Naturally, the party headed up. As they exited the stairs, Shiba smacked his fist into his palm.
"The gravekeeper doesn't damage the graveyard."
"Yeah."
"So if we'd broken even one tombstone... Come to think of it, I remember brother Taylor chipping one off..."
"That must've been safe. And Allen nicked one too."
Shiba shook his head at their sly blame-sharing. Allen, unconcerned, outlined the next plan.
"Just in case, let's hunt a bit before we go."
"What about rest?"
"Might need an alibi."
Descending the peak, a leopard lifted its head slightly, and the box flailed its pincer arms toward the cart. Inside were three fresh direwolves.
"Guess we can head back now."
Exiting the forest, the party headed to base. As Breaker Base came into view, Taylor spoke.
"Primordial forest soil sells for about one meter cubed."
"Placing dug soil front and back of walls lets the recovery power grip them tight, right?"
"Yeah... You know your stuff."
While Taylor fell silent, robbed of his line, the party entered the outer wall and ran into Sion. She clearly looked like she'd been waiting.
"Why're you so late?"
"Ran into some game on the way. Chasing it got us a bit lost."
Sion nodded at the massive wolves on the cart and vanished swiftly into the inner base.
Taylor watched her go, then thumbs-upped near his heart.
End
Having obtained the bizarre staff from the underground graveyard, Allen set up camp at Breaker Base and roamed the primordial forest layers 21 through 23.
Looping the same spots might bore anyone, but shifting doors and varied creature patterns kept tension high.
Back at base settling hunt spoils, Allen noticed his ID info had updated.
"Took thirty days."
"Measure to stop money buying ranks. Those types make explorer IDs on a whim anyway—long waits bore 'em out."
Allen nodded. Cash-upgraded fakes would flee to the surface at hand-sized mosquitoes or leeches in the forest.
Depth reached updated—biggest goal achieved. Future dives would skip the wait.
Leaving settlement to Taylor, Allen repaired magitech in the tent. Mid-stove fix, the flap flew open, letting in light.
"Too dark'll ruin your eyes. But big news!"
"Not pranking out of boredom, are you?"
"Calling morale-boosting cheers pranks... Not this time. For real."
"Tell me."
Allen looked up. Flames from the fixed stove cast a soft glow inside. Taylor recounted base chats.
"Ran into a guy—said Breaker's monthly expedition got canceled for some reason."
"Brother, doesn't seem worth the fuss."
Shiba stirred from his sleeping bag in the corner—what he called "possession," not sleep.
"Fuss?"
Taylor pointed at the staff near Allen. Stove light made its surface gleam. Characters so dense they looked like abstract patterns.
"Item Sion should've nabbed—we took it. She tailed us a bit because of that."
"Confirms it's a key for some place."
Allen grasped Taylor's point instantly. Clues pieced together easily.
"Timing's perfect. Expedition targeted layer 31-plus, so the sealed door's down there."
"Gotta breakthrough the forest first. Next upgrade finishes the powersuit."
Allen stowed supplies in the box's drawer and stood. The box busily clicked its pincers, aiding exoskeleton donning.
Feeling a prickly stare, Allen turned. Taylor beamed eagerly.
"Brother, your face is too irreverent."
"What? Pray or whatever. Allen, what about me?"
"Time for your upgrade too, old man."
"We've made good money, so this time—"