Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 265
>Chapter Title: The Forbidden Labyrinth
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Deep in the southern forest.
About five minutes after the fierce clash with Sina?
-Owner...
-...Liza.
They came to an abrupt halt, and Jihad and Eliza furrowed their brows in displeasure.
Their eyes, narrowed thin like twins, were fixed on one spot.
A tree positioned in the corner of what appeared at a glance to be an ordinary dense forest.
A deeply unsettling energy was emanating from that tree.
"Hmm. Really? I don't sense anything."
-...Forgive me, but I sense it too, my lord.
Of course, that was only the case for the mana-sensitive Jihad and Eliza. To Charlie and Do-hyun, it was nothing more than an ordinary tree.
They could only infer that something was there from the pair's reactions and the mark on the map.
-You can't feel this? Really? This unpleasant rotten stench is vibrating so intensely?
-Liza Liza!
Jihad bellowed in disbelief, while Eliza chimed in enthusiastically from the side.
Watching the two of them, Do-hyun wondered if they could have found it even without the map.
'They're definitely something else.'
The unusually high mana consumption, their elevated presence, the mana detection that transcended guardian levels.
They were exceptional in every way.
"Got it, so quiet down."
-...You're always on my case.
Ignoring Jihad as he pouted and grumbled, Do-hyun took a step forward. A crisp alert rang out.
[You have discovered the Forbidden Labyrinth.]
[Forbidden Labyrinth]
-Grade: ?
-Type: ?
-Characteristics: ?
-Description: This was originally an ordinary labyrinth. Until something took residence within it.
Entry is forbidden to all subjects—only apostles may enter.
[Entry Limit: None]
[Successful conquest of the labyrinth will cause it to vanish.]
'No useful info.'
Grade, type, characteristics—all blank.
Even the description was a brief few lines.
The only thing clear was that conquering the labyrinth would clear it.
The peculiar part was the lack of an entry limit.
'Does that mean a hundred or even a thousand could go in?'
One reason dungeons are tough is these entry limits.
They make something that ten could breeze through restricted to four or fewer to ramp up the difficulty—that's how dungeons work.
No limit meant one of two things.
'Either it's that brutal, or it's a special kind of dungeon... Guess I'll find out once I'm inside.'
Seeing is believing, an eternal truth. Do-hyun stopped mulling and strode forward boldly.
The moment his foot touched the tree's base.
[Entering the Forbidden Labyrinth.]
Something rippled, and Do-hyun's vision flipped.
When he opened his eyes, a completely altered landscape greeted him.
'Impressive...'
Do-hyun nodded as he surveyed his surroundings.
The name was no exaggeration—a colossal maze sprawled out, its structure too vast to fully discern.
The entrance alone looked wide enough for dozens to pass side by side.
-This is enormous.
-Get lost in here, and good luck finding your way.
-Liza Liza.
It truly seemed like losing sight of the group even once would make reuniting a nightmare.
Intrigued by this first-of-its-kind dungeon in Godoh, Do-hyun slowly ventured inward.
Step by step.
How far had they gone?
-Hey, a fork!
Navigating the expansive maze, a branch appeared almost immediately.
No map—they had to choose.
A wrong turn could spell trouble, so caution was key, but Do-hyun picked left without a second thought.
[The Eye of Truth activates.]
'Hundreds of arrows and monsters? What's that—poison-coated spikes?'
His eyes clearly revealed the traps lurking on the right path.
Pass unaware, and he'd be skewered in seconds.
The left path had none—at least according to the Eye of Truth.
'And the Eye of Truth has never been wrong.'
Grinning, Do-hyun proceeded left. Not long after.
Another fork, this one with three paths—two trapped.
'Middle.'
The Eye of Truth guided him effortlessly again, only for yet another fork to greet him.
How many times did he confirm with the Eye of Truth and press on?
[The Eye of Truth activates.]
'Third.'
He bulldozed through forks expanding to five branches, and a crisp alert sounded.
[You have escaped the maze.]
[Entering the labyrinth.]
-What? It's not over?
-Without my lord's keen sight, this would be no easy passage. Others would spend ages just traversing it.
-Liza!
"Right?"
Even so, the maze was manageable.
No need for the Eye of Truth—just barrel straight down the single path.
Rumble rumble rumble—
"...Run."
-...Yes!
-Huh, what the hell is all that?!
-Li, Liza!
The trouble started the instant they entered the labyrinth—obstacles barreling after them from behind.
Starting with a massive iron ball on rails,
Screeeeech—
Hiiiiss—
-Kek! Gho, ghosts! Why are there ghosts here?!
-Liza Liza!
-Attacks aren't working. They're not meant to be killed.
"Run."
-Yes!
Even down to spine-chilling specters.
Bursting through every obstacle along the twisting, coiling path took roughly a few minutes.
[You have escaped the labyrinth.]
-Haaa, finally out.
-Liza Liza.
"You rode piggyback on Charlie and you're huffing like that?"
-...My legs are short. Of course my stamina sucks more.
Charlie set down the relatively low-stamina Jihad, who sheepishly rubbed his nose.
Do-hyun chuckled and looked up.
[You have conquered both the Forbidden Maze and Labyrinth.]
[You may now enter the nest.]
'Is this the real deal?'
Less a nest, more a cavern.
Vast enough to rival a dragon's lair, steeped in ancient traces.
Peering closely, he stepped inside—to a sight utterly unlike the exterior.
Candles affixed to the walls softly illuminated the gloom, evoking the vibe of a king's tomb.
Step.
-Huh?
-Hmm. This is...
One more step.
A colossal chamber greeted them—twenty meters high, two hundred across. Stepping in, Do-hyun couldn't hide his shock.
-Statues.
Even in this vast space, enormous statues lined both sides, impossible to miss.
Over ten by rough count.
-...Owner. This feels off. Stay sharp.
-Liza...
The mana-sensitive duo grimaced, but this time Do-hyun was quicker.
[The Eye of Truth activates.]
'...Those statues. All glowing red.'
Dyed red throughout, just like what he'd seen on the Emperor and Second Prince.
The statues' forms were far from normal, too.
Ominous shapes unlike typical monsters, stirring primal dread.
Quadrupedal or scaled or winged—mere variations, but they all exuded a similar aura.
An aura quite familiar to Do-hyun.
'...The Abyss.'
The same revulsion he'd felt from the beasts glimpsed through the Eye of the Abyss and the existence-devourer.
Meaning those countless statues were modeled after Abyss entities.
And the Eye of Truth triggering on every single one...
'...They're not about to move, are they?'
Do-hyun swallowed hard, then shook his head.
No anomalies for now, at least.
[Investigation of the Forbidden Labyrinth (0 / 1)]
'...Let's go deeper.'
Quest incomplete confirmed, Do-hyun pressed on.
In the tense air, weaving past the statues to the end.
[The Eye of Truth activates.]
[Investigation of the Forbidden Labyrinth complete.]
[Return to the Emperor and report what you witnessed.]
"This is insane..."
His eyes bulged at the reflection in his pupils, a curse bursting forth.
Face twisting in disbelief, Do-hyun muttered.
"You expect me to clear this?"
Undeniably, top-tier difficulty.
* * *
[Exiting the Forbidden Labyrinth.]
[All personnel confirmed exited. Labyrinth structure shifting.]
Do-hyun emerged with a sour expression.
Hard not to.
"Objectively speaking—this dungeon is nuts."
-...A perfectly objective assessment, owner.
-Liza.
The difficulty was utterly deranged.
Even Do-hyun, who never shied from trials, was convinced solo was impossible.
-...Near impossible at present, my lord.
Rare consensus. Do-hyun sighed.
'Feels like I need a full guild for this... Should I rope in Uncle and try?'
Even then, no guarantee of clearing.
Just in case, he checked his friends list—Sword Saint still in secluded training, no response; the Empress was offline, lost in dreamland.
'Sigh. Moments like this make a guild tempting.'
Everything so far had been soloable, but this demanded numbers. A pang of regret hit.
Not that he'd join someone else's guild.
He hated playing second fiddle, and after Demlock, guilds left a bad taste anyway.
'What I saw at the end—that thing. There was definitely a red glow behind it.'
The faint crimson light hidden behind the 'thing' that had floored Do-hyun.
Context screamed main quest connection. That 'thing' embodied it.
Which meant the hidden whatever was likely a shard of fate.
'Have to clear it.'
Clearing the labyrinth was non-negotiable to claim it.
Whether begging Astr for aid or—reluctant as he was—forming a raid party, no holds barred.
He turned, eyes sharpening toward the imperial castle beyond the forest.
[Investigation of the Forbidden Labyrinth complete.]
[Return to the Emperor and report what you witnessed.]
'A labyrinth tied to the main quest... The Emperor might know something.'
Priority one: report to the Emperor.
* * *
And at that very moment.
[Guys, big one's dropping on Kaiser TV soon.]
A somewhat random post went up on the homepage board.
└? We've had plenty of big drops already. What now?
└Poster: Who doesn't? Anyway, something's blowing up soon—take it as read.
└Another big one here? Possible?
Kaiser's name drew eyes instantly, as the controversy magnet he was.
But the attention wasn't positive.
└Sigh, agro again. Ignore and move on.
└Fr, exhibitionists everywhere since that mess.
└What, you Kaiser's cousin? Knows a big drop's coming lmao
└If you're his cousin, I'm his grandpa lol
As usual, folks pegged it as some attention-starved troll spouting nonsense.
Reactions? Mockery, nothing more or less.
└Sudden parry bastard flash—makes me sick.
└Parry bastard? Who's that
└Idk f***, bastard sword or mustard or whatever—claimed he chatted and fought Kaiser, tried parry on boss, got one-shot.
└Lmao so many clowns like that now.
└All this crap's cuz of these posers sigh;;
└Seeing folks rage at petty agro really highlights how badass Kaiser is—toppled countless rankers, reclaimed #1 in every city, troll factory king.
└? Sneak worship wut?
└Don't know? Latest meme. Copying the Kaiser Faith worship.
└Kaiser Faith getting roasted lately. Used to be subtle, now they're straight-up evangelizing.
Like any thread, it devolved into playground banter.
Until.
-Poster: Tons of disbelievers, understandable. Topic's the topic. No long post from me. (……jpg) You judge.
One reply laced with bitter fury and reverence appeared.