Arkys Great Labyrinth (6)
A resounding boom shook the labyrinth, causing Eunhyeon and Elenoa to halt in their tracks.
"That sound..."
Eunhyeon pinpointed the source of the vibrations and noise as Elenoa muttered with a stiff expression. Since he was already scanning the labyrinth's interior through Detection, he quickly identified where it originated.
Staring at the floor, Eunhyeon said,
"It's from below."
"Sh-shouldn't we hurry? If Brother's party is in the middle of a fight right now..."
"This isn't the sound of battle."
"If it's not battle, then what?"
"The noise and vibrations are fading away. It means a single monster is rampaging wildly through the labyrinth."
Elenoa tilted her head, not fully grasping what Eunhyeon's explanation implied.
"Judging by the receding noise and vibrations, it doesn't seem like the monster is chasing humans—at least not anymore. The commotion sounds like it's smashing into walls all over the place, enough to make the whole labyrinth tremble. For some reason, it's lost its mind. Like it's furiously pissed off at something."
"So no battle broke out?"
"It might have started as one. The most likely scenario right now is that one of the party members smashed a tear gas vial they kept for escapes, then fled from the monster."
Eunhyeon pondered the cause of a lone monster going berserk inside the labyrinth and arrived at the conclusion closest to the truth.
"Tear gas vial?"
"A non-lethal tool made by alchemists' workshops, filled with reagents and catalysts that induce status ailments. When inhaled, it causes skin irritation, vomiting, sneezing, and the like. If you encounter an unbeatable monster, you shatter one of these vials. The monsters get confused by the gas, buying you time for a hasty retreat."
"I see. So even if Brother's group engaged in combat, they successfully escaped, and that monster is throwing a tantrum because it lost them?"
"Pretty much."
Eunhyeon paused to consider the vibrations, which had now completely stopped, before turning to Elenoa.
"We need to pick up the pace. Looks like you'll have to ride on my back again."
"Again...?"
Elenoa seemed hesitant about being piggybacked by a man outside her family—not just once, but twice.
"The vibrations and noise have stopped. The status effects from the tear gas are wearing off bit by bit. Once it regains its senses from the pain, that monster will hunt down the humans who screwed it over and got away."
"Ah."
With no idea of the current state of the party—possibly Alex's—they had to link up before that monster recovered and crossed paths again. If anyone was injured, another encounter might be fatal; that much was uncertain.
Realizing there was no time for hesitation, Elenoa nodded. Just like that midnight run through the forest, Eunhyeon hoisted her onto his back and broke into a sprint at breakneck speed.
He traversed the labyrinth's interior as swiftly as a carriage, deftly avoiding every trap that sprang up along the way.
Elenoa was no longer surprised by Eunhyeon's ability to shrug off attacks from monsters they encountered and charge boldly forward without even taking a hit.
Time Acceleration
Thought Acceleration
Eunhyeon dashed through the labyrinth with movements transcending limits via Time Acceleration. He extended Detection to its maximum range, processing the influx of information in his mind with Thought Acceleration.
His goal: map the labyrinth's structure, identify monster types and numbers, locate known rest points—save points—and pinpoint Alex and Princess Yuria's party somewhere within.
With real-time mapping in his head, Eunhyeon navigated the complex maze without a single slowdown, as if it were his own home.
In the midst of hurtling through at tremendous speed, they arrived before a door.
Aware through Detection of stairs descending beyond, Eunhyeon charged, kicked the iron door off its hinges with a powerful leg, and leaped inside.
"Kyaaak!"
It was less descending the stairs and more jumping straight down them.
Realizing she was falling through the air, Elenoa screamed and tightened her grip around Eunhyeon's neck.
"Can't... breathe."
"Th-then don't do stuff like this out of nowhere! My heart nearly stopped!"
"If we want to go fast, you endure. Isn't your brother's life on the line?"
"Th-that's true, but!"
Elenoa couldn't muster a retort and shot Eunhyeon an exasperated look for dragging Alex into it only now.
Exiting the stairs into a new level, Eunhyeon resumed his rapid traverse of the underground depths.
Spotting four people at the edge of his Detection, he skidded to a halt.
"Found them."
"Pardon?"
Elenoa eyed Eunhyeon oddly as he muttered cryptically and stopped. He set her down and unslung the backpack from his front.
She watched silently, her expression saying, This guy's up to something again. She no longer bothered asking what.
Seeing that intensely serious face, she didn't even want to interrupt.
Eunhyeon set down the travel backpack, summoned a long spear into his hand, and assumed position.
Legs bent, body low, right arm with the spear extended straight back, torso twisted.
Spear throw? Here? At the wall?
As Elenoa watched in confusion, she noticed the spear in his right hand, primed like a loaded crossbow, ready to fly at any moment.
"Ah..."
The mana coalescing around the spear was no joke.
An overwhelming quantity of high-quality mana, visible to the eye, enveloped his hand and the spear in blue light.
Eunhyeon poured mana in relentlessly, reinforcing the spear in his grip to its limits—and beyond.
The result: piercing power nothing could block, capable of impaling anything.
The mana-charged spear trembled and wailed in his hand.
As if begging to be released, the weapon screamed at its limit.
Reinforcement complete, Eunhyeon held his throwing stance calmly, waiting.
Waiting for the target at the fringe of Detection—a "massive-tusked wild boar"—to enter his line of fire.
The moment the charging boar aligned perfectly, Eunhyeon unleashed the compressed mana within the spear.
"Ngh!"
A fierce mana gale erupted around the spear, forcing Elenoa to groan softly and shield her face from the wind.
Brionac Spear Art
⟨ Shell Piercer ⟩
The spear, launched from a flawless throw, shattered the wall and reached the monster 2km away in seconds.
Confirming it had demolished multiple labyrinth walls and precisely impaled the target, Eunhyeon nodded with a satisfied smile.
Good! Plenty to eat this time.
[My child... focus.]
Elenoa stared in awe at the crumbling walls, murmuring,
"Insane..."
Ignoring her, Eunhyeon observed the boar-type monster—Impaler Boar—impaled mid-air on the spear like a specimen, legs flailing futilely to escape without touching ground.
He summoned another long spear, aimed for its head, and threw. Confirming the head explosion and instant death, he shouldered his backpack again.
"Let's go."
Eunhyeon scooped Elenoa up by her waist and legs.
"Wh-what are you—"
"Your brother's 1km ahead. Matching your pace would take forever. Looks like he's got serious injuries—better hurry. I'll set you down midway, so no need to worry about appearances."
"......"
Elenoa pouted but didn't resist. If Alex was critical, she wanted to heal him with her holy magic as soon as possible—that took priority.
Absolutely not because I'm embarrassed being held by a strange man, she told herself.
Eunhyeon covered the distance in an instant and set Elenoa down right before arrival. They walked slowly forward, encountering two stunned men and a woman frozen in bewilderment at the sudden turn.
"Elenoa? How are you here...?"
The man muttered in confusion at her abrupt appearance.
Brushing past him, Eunhyeon approached the culprit who had dragged him into this mess.
Alex, clearly in critical condition at a glance, gazed at Eunhyeon with a relieved, serene expression—as if a massive weight had lifted.
Unsure if Eunhyeon would come, seeing him now filled him with unexpected joy.
Eunhyeon smirked at the grinning Alex and spoke.
"Delivery's here, sir. Hope the 'help' you ordered arrived on time."
"Perfect timing, really... Might have to thank you for life."
"Then next time, don't treat me like some 'Delivery Deficiency' lackey. Even as allies, pull this again and I'll get mad for real."
It was a warning: Don't drag me into your messes next time. Alex gave a wry smile, looking troubled.
"No promises. Seems like I'll desperately need your help nonstop."
"We'll discuss that when it happens. For now, let's do something about that near-corpse of yours."
Eunhyeon could roughly gauge Alex's situation, so he felt no urge to berate harshly.
Caught up in Princess Yuria's unilateral actions, Alex had done his best despite knowing his limits, hedging with 'Eunhyeon' insurance for worst cases.
Eunhyeon disliked the method but not the effort to fulfill his role, even borrowing outside power.
That's why I bothered coming to save this guy.
[Sounds like you wouldn't have come for anyone else.]
At least if it were that trash Ashton, his brother, I absolutely wouldn't. I'd have let him die.
But Eunhyeon believed Alex couldn't die yet, so despite the reluctance, he'd honored Helena and Elenoa's request.
He wasn't some 'saint' saving every soul in peril.
Even if a virtuous saint fell into crisis or cruel fate, without necessity, he wouldn't bother.
Not a 'saint,' but not a 'villain'—Eunhyeon was a thoroughly calculating human.
Gazing at Alex, Eunhyeon pondered.
I wonder how I look to others.
Judging human lives' value—deciding which to save, which to abandon—was far from normal human thinking.
When first appointed Apostle, the gods' imposed mindset brought doubt and anguish aplenty.
But now, after 400 years, it was ingrained as natural—beyond ordinary humans' comprehension.
Even if Verdandi deemed such thinking unnecessary and lifted restraints, 400-year habits wouldn't vanish overnight.
Going back to how I was... probably impossible.
Could he even define his current self as human? Doubt crept in.
His body had outlived human spans; his injected mindset treated humans as consumables, pursuing 'efficiency' in coldly inhuman, ruthless calculation.
[My child... no more such sad thoughts. I'm by your side to mend your heart.]
...Goddess.
[Your sisters and I made you this way, after all.]
Goddess, I'm fine.
Eunhyeon comforted the self-reproaching Verdandi once more and examined Alex's condition.
"This... is pretty bad."
"B-Brother!"
Elenoa, following behind, blanched at the massive abdominal puncture wound and cried out.
"Heal him now."
"Got it."
Highness Heal
Watching damaged organs, flesh, and skin knit back together, Eunhyeon recognized it as an advanced heal brimming with holy power and looked surprised.
"Impressive. You can cast high-tier recovery spells."
"What's so impressive? I told you I could be of hel—ugh."
Starting confidently, Elenoa recalled never actually helping during their time together and made a deeply offended face.
Eunhyeon chuckled as she averted her gaze hastily.
"Well then, introductions. Pleased to meet you, Royal Guard knights and Princess Yuria. I'm Eunhyeon, tasked with your rescue at the request of Alex and Elenoa."
Eunhyeon bowed formally to the three still grappling with the situation.