Chapter 268
Chapter 268
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 268
>Chapter Title: The Forbidden Labyrinth
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[You have entered the Forbidden Labyrinth.]
[Due to the large number of entrants, the labyrinth's difficulty has increased.]
[Additional condition: Those who die in the labyrinth cannot re-enter.]
[The labyrinth's structure has changed. Proceed with caution.]
……Difficulty increased?
Do-hyun frowned at the welcoming messages that greeted him the moment he entered.
There had been no mention of anything like this in the dungeon information—a system perfectly designed to screw over unsuspecting users.
‘If they’d let just anyone join, it would’ve been chaos. The emperor’s distrust of users’ abilities ended up working in our favor.’
Without entry restrictions, hundreds of thousands of users would have flooded in.
Accounting for the scaling difficulty based on party size, it would have reached unimaginable levels.
And that wasn’t all. Now there was a no-reentry penalty for death.
‘One wrong move, and we could’ve blown our chance for nothing.’
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
“What the hell is this? Monsters everywhere we turn?”
“Why are there so many traps? Hey, DPS, what’s the deal?”
“Urk! Paralysis poison on that spear! Watch out!”
Do-hyun lifted his head at the commotion and saw users struggling.
The layout was drastically different from the initial entry point, with traps and monsters lurking right from the start.
‘Still, the basic maze-to-labyrinth structure seems the same.’
It felt like the same framework, just recombined into something far more complex and vicious.
Monsters lurked everywhere he looked—Truth’s Eye was practically pointless.
And these weren’t ordinary monsters.
These were top-tier users verified by the Imperial Knights.
For even they to struggle meant the monsters were on par with mid-level bosses.
‘The maze has expanded in size to match the entrant count.’
Preemptive scouting had been rendered meaningless, but Do-hyun grinned.
Perfect.
‘I can test it out right away.’
A chance to check his new armor’s performance and his upgraded stats.
Do-hyun pulled the armor from his inventory.
But no matter how he looked at it, it didn’t resemble any ordinary piece of gear.
‘A rock as armor? I had no idea when I first got it.’
A small, unremarkable stone.
The only standout feature was its deep black sheen, sparkling like a universe contained within.
But when he held it aloft in the air, something mystical occurred.
Swoosh—
It floated midair, defying gravity.
It didn’t stop there. As the stone slowly drifted toward his hand and made contact—
Shhrrk—shk—
Its form shifted, black tendrils wrapping up his arm.
Like when he’d proven himself to the Iron, it climbed over his shoulders, engulfing his entire body. The stone was no more.
Do-hyun activated the customization mirror and grinned.
“Oh, nice and sleek.”
A thin black robe, like a lightweight training uniform.
It looked like it offered zero defense, but the charred, lightning-scorched texture hinted at extraordinary qualities.
It matched his black mask so perfectly, they could’ve been a set.
Swoosh.
He shed the stuffy plate armor for the comfortable robe and scanned his surroundings.
With the eyes of a predator hunting prey.
‘That looks promising.’
His gaze sharpened as it locked on the left fork.
Plenty of people around due to the crowd, but this was the only path without users fighting monsters.
In other words, it was inefficient—stocked with the strongest mobs.
Didn’t matter.
‘Time to cut loose.’
Ideal conditions to test the gear.
Grinning, Do-hyun kicked off the ground.
* * *
“Son of a bitch! What’s with these monster levels?”
“Whoa, this a dungeon? Thought we’d clear it quick with this many people, but now I get why the emperor commissioned it.”
“Every single one’s like a boss mob.”
“And traps keep coming out of nowhere. Driving me insane.”
Roughly 40 minutes since the labyrinth assault began.
Not much time numerically, but with thousands pushing forward, it felt substantial.
Especially for a guild-scale operation like this, not small teams.
“The guilds are just brute-forcing through with numbers.”
“Sigh, only us independents are dying out here. NPCs can’t even join, figures.”
“Guildies are gonna get cocky as hell.”
Which explained why those still stuck at the entrance were the stragglers.
Mostly non-guild users under NPC factions.
Sharp ones had already grouped up with fellow NPC affiliates, but these were the leftovers.
A ragtag bunch hastily assembled—no better than a joke of a raid party.
Hell, not even worth calling a party; just a tiny group.
“We’re rankers in our own right, though. Let’s push as far as we can. Gotta snag some scraps, right?”
Still, they were top users who strutted with pride outside.
No intention of slinking away bitter.
“Yeah. Which way we breaking through?”
“Right side, obviously. You wanna go left?”
The fired-up user nearly had a fit.
He recalled their first ignorant plunge down the left path—and the disaster that followed.
“Why? Guilds all went left.”
“Dozens of traps, and monster damage is insane. No faction support? Forget it.”
The right side had weaker defenses by comparison, but what good was that?
Hard to land a solid hit amid that trap hell.
One graze from overconfidence, and it was a fatal wound.
Needed at least dozens to break through smoothly.
“Fine, your call the…… Hm?”
The group was neatly conceding when one tilted his head.
……Hey, what’s that?
“What…… Huh?”
The questioning user’s eyes shook violently as they turned left.
An unbelievable scene unfolded.
……That guy’s fighting solo, right?
“What the? Wasn’t anyone there a second ago?
“Why’s his party hanging back…… Wait, that blonde’s Charlie.”
“Huh? That mask! N-no way, Kaiser?!”
The outfit was different, but unmistakable.
His guardians were too famous now to miss.
Even Kaiser going solo through that?
Skipping the easier right path?
Before they could shout to stop his incomprehensible stunt, their mouths clamped shut.
……He’s doing it?
“And flying through it?”
“Eyes in the back of his head or what? Dodging every trap.”
Kaiser was massacring the monsters.
Whish—crunch!
Chomp!
His near-divine movements evaded traps and counters, reaching artistic heights.
The only baffling part: he occasionally paused to tank hits……
“Didn’t we say those monsters hit hard? Not a scratch on him.”
……Weird. It’s just a robe, right? Why’s it so tough?
Even in heavy plate, those attacks would’ve launched him.
Yet Kaiser in robes stood firm, turning the tables spectacularly.
Watching the incomprehensible display suddenly made sense.
‘……So it’s true he took down the Blood Slaughter Master.’
‘The Top 10 Guilds didn’t clear it that cleanly.’
‘Kaiser…… is he a god?’
The worry etched on their faces moments ago vanished.
They were simply entranced by the overwhelming display.
* * *
Stab!
[Left path beast slain.]
[Level up.]
Do-hyun halted as the final beast’s jaw impaled like a skewer, notifications rising.
Corpses piled high around him.
At least fifty.
The hunt? Barely five minutes.
‘Specs are ridiculously boosted, no doubt.’
Three days of leveling helped, but the armor’s effects dominated.
[Artlam’s Masterpiece - Defying Heaven Robes]
[Rank: Legendary (Unique)(Growth)]
[Description: Artlam, master craftsman of the Argeltlam Forge.
His envy-of-all-smiths masterpiece, forged from a one-of-a-kind special ore.
Only the chosen by the ore may wear it; others require the wearer’s permission to even refine it.
It will steadfastly defy the heavens and endure any adversity.]
[Equip Restriction: Chosen by the Defiance Stone]
[Physical Defense: 3,594]
[Magic Resistance: 3,275]
- Strength +10
- Agility +10
- Vitality +10
- HP +1,000
- MP +1,000
[Indestructible Stone: Incoming damage reduced by 20%. Defense increases with consecutive hits. Cannot be damaged without wearer’s permission.]
[Defying Heaven: All options amplify when overcoming adversity. Greater adversity yields greater amplification; max triggers hidden option.]
‘This thin robe tougher than plate mail.’
It outclassed any legendary plate in defense stats.
He could tank hits mid-hunt, slashing clear times dramatically.
Not to mention the +30 total stats.
HP and MP boosts curbed mana issues, enabling hyper-efficient farming.
‘Damage reduction, defense ramp-up…… stellar options.’
Defying Heaven stood out as unique.
First armor stronger the worse things got.
Perfect for Do-hyun, master of Reverse Heaven Energy.
Boosted high-risk, high-reward odds.
‘Nothing better for the main quest.’
Curious about that hidden option.
These mobs didn’t even count as adversity—no activation.
‘Level 88 already.’
Three days for +2 levels; this hunt alone +1.
Likely just topped off near-full EXP, but still generous.
Left path harder than right, naturally.
‘Groups split EXP evenly, but……’
Solo Do-hyun? Different story.
[Truth’s Eye activates.]
He saw every trap’s position and type.
Every lurking monster.
‘No people, high EXP? Jackpot.’
Unpopulated hunts were always the sweetest.
Grinning, Do-hyun dashed forward.
Boom! Bwoom!
Traps greeted aggressively, but he dodged or deflected effortlessly.
Later, too slow—he preemptively triggered or tanked through.
……What the hell is that.
Dunno. Doesn’t seem human.
Let’s bail. We’re not cutting it.
Yeah……
The users gawking dumbfounded gave up comprehending.
Post-nut clarity hit; they trudged away.
No one left.
Except one.
Thud.
A man who’d blended seamlessly as a straggler.
He stared down the left path Do-hyun took, lips moving silently.
……He’s in. Yes, alone. Heading left. But…… breaking through unusually. Expect him to reach deeper faster than anticipated.
His cautious whisper ended; a icy voice replied.
—To think he’d go solo even here…… the height of arrogance.
……
—Time we prepared accordingly.
……Yes, Master.
Low, gravelly, serpentine voice.
—Hope it suits you, Kaiser. This will be your tomb.
Aegis Master of the Top 10 Guilds.
Damian Alexander began moving in earnest.