Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Still 4 Years Too Early (7)
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After enduring a tough ordeal, the next day Karin regained her senses. For some unknown reason, she seemed to have calmed down considerably and regained her composure, heading into the labyrinth alongside Big Sis Mina.
Assuming Karin was the protagonist of the sequel and labyrinth conquest was the main content, it felt like we were gradually gathering companions one by one. Well, in a way, it wasn't all that different. After all, we were doing this to uncover the secret of the bracelet she possessed.
"...Something feels different."
"Does it? I wouldn't know what the labyrinth is usually like."
"It doesn't feel this quiet."
Quiet.
In truth, there were plenty of people around, but if asked whether it felt teeming with monsters, the answer was no. Thinking back, when we'd come down last time to help Riza, there had been a ton of traps and monsters, yet right now, even as we descended, there were far fewer monsters than expected.
Whether this had some other cause or was truly due to Karin's bracelet, at the very least, the difference was tangible enough for Big Sis Mina to notice.
"Karin. The bracelet."
"I don't sense anything special."
"You don't feel anything unusual either, right Big Sis?"
"Nope."
Tricky. It was suspicious, but nothing was more frustrating than a situation where you couldn't pinpoint the cause. My senses picked up nothing, and neither did Big Sis Mina's detection, so I doubted there was anything hidden.
This headache-inducing situation called for a brief halt to observe.
Karin fiddled with her bracelet, clearly bothered by something, but the black-and-white banded trinket showed no reaction whatsoever.
For now, let's sort out my thoughts.
The labyrinth was a space where the Demon God's and Goddess's powers mingled in perfect balance. I didn't know the exact mechanism, but their clash—or fusion—had created what was essentially an otherworldly realm.
And Karin's bracelet was some enigmatic item that absorbed both powers. No one knew what would happen once it had taken in enough of each.
Right now, it was brimming with the Goddess's power, with just a little of the Demon God's starting to accumulate.
If Ermina's story had progressed normally, Karin would have entered the labyrinth after nearly all the Demon God's followers had been eliminated, so there shouldn't be any direct connection to the cultists.
So what was Karin's purpose in her storyline? What would change once the bracelet was complete?
Considering that Ermina's conflict with the demons began—per the original story—when she took on the commission to subdue and purify Karsis, who had corrupted the southern plains, Karin must have some goal or trigger of her own.
I glanced at Karin, but she was just standing there blankly.
Did we really have to fill it with the Demon God's power to find out?
Standing around wouldn't solve anything, and nothing was popping out at us, so we decided to press on.
"...It's a bit of a risky idea, but what if we trust me and the Cafe Manager and just fill it right up?"
"I was thinking the same thing. It should be safer than going it alone."
"Uh, really?"
Karin looked flustered.
In truth, if anything went wrong, she'd be the first affected. I didn't know the full extent of Big Sis Mina's power, but I decided to trust the confidence shining in her slightly sleepy eyes.
"Let's do it. It's a gamble worth taking."
"If the Cafe Manager says so."
"Then we're heading down?"
With everyone in agreement, we descended. Whenever possible, we kept Karin out of the fights; I handled the bulk of the monsters in our way, while Big Sis Mina neatly cleaned up the rest.
It was worrisome seeing Karin's face drain of color each time we encountered monsters midway, but she endured and kept up.
And so, after passing the layer where I'd once encountered the deer—and four layers beyond—we entered the next floor.
The terrain, reminiscent of an underground dungeon with its blue brick walls, was instantly dyed a dark crimson, setting off alarms in my head.
"Big Sis!"
"I know!"
In one fluid motion, I drew my left sword and plunged it into the writhing wall. Shifting fully into combat mode, I sensed Big Sis Mina shielding four swept-up adventurers and Karin within the labyrinth's maw, which had morphed like a monster's throat.
Swept-up adventurers.
They were too far. The walls and floor—which even the Goddess's power struggled to shatter without shattering—were already closing like a gullet swallowing prey, crushing them in the distance.
I cloaked my body in aura infused with the Goddess's power to resist the labyrinth's pressure. Big Sis Mina seemed to be defending with some kind of barrier, but the swept-up ones had already vanished from my senses.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue once. Sure, everyone who entered the labyrinth staked their lives, but no one came hoping to be devoured by some freak anomaly like this.
Silently apologizing to those who'd died entangled in our mess, I jammed my hands between the ceiling and floor—gaping wider due to the walls' movements as they tried to flatten me—and poured in the Goddess's power.
The excessive force caused faint cracks to spiderweb across my right arm, golden blood trickling out. It was power beyond my normal limits.
How could Julius from the original story have reached heights beyond his talent's limits—shunned by his family for free?
Even so—
A golden flash erupted from my right arm, shredding the crimson walls and carving open a path. Perhaps because it wasn't designed for destruction, the torn sections revealed only bottomless darkness, like true void.
The path was open, but crossing it wasn't straightforward, and as I hesitated, the walls began regenerating. Spotting incoming green chains, I leaped as far as possible while snatching one.
Not resisting the pull from the other end, I vaulted forward, traversing the pitch-black void devoid of light until my feet hit solid ground near Big Sis Mina.
"...This is no joke."
"Tell me about it. And look over there."
"Ah. The bracelet."
It had turned pitch black, visibly sucking in some kind of power from the wall. As if fixed in place, Karin tried to pull her hand free, but it was stuck fast, like her hand was embedded in solid wall.
Switching to my left hand—infused with the Goddess's power since my right was bleeding—I tried to pry it loose, but it slipped away like grasping something slick.
As I pondered other options, the space I'd carved filled in naturally, and with the bracelet fixed in midair as the focal point, the area around Karin warped and twisted before sucking her in entirely.
"...This is bad."
"...Yeah."
With Karin gone, Big Sis Mina and I faced each other in the now oddly pristine labyrinth, falling silent for a moment.
**
Karin dropped from midair, a short distance above a stone floor.
Unable to steady herself, she landed hard on her butt—and unfortunately right on a protruding rock—rolling across the ground without even a scream.
Who the hell leaves stone spikes on the floor?
Blinking back tears, she clutched her sore backside and stood, at which point torches ignited in the once pitch-black space, revealing a temple-like structure.
A statue of a man clad in full armor. And facing him, a statue of a woman in prayer.
Though no one was present and even the air felt stagnant, the unnaturally pristine space made it hard for Karin to take a step.
The torches lighting up in tandem seemed to guide the way, but having learned the bitter lesson that easy paths often brought swift judgment, Karin first surveyed her surroundings.
Unable to endure the oppressive silence and isolation for even ten full minutes, however, she finally started down the open path.
"Ha... ah."
She hadn't walked far, yet her breath came short and sweat poured out, as if her strength was being drained. If she collapsed here, would anyone find her? She wouldn't die like this, would she?
Amid a whirlwind of thoughts, she could go no further and sank to the ground. Ignoring the cold sweat streaming down, she lifted her blurry gaze to find the distant statue now right before her eyes.
"Ah... uh."
In a posture as if kneeling to worship the statue, Karin's eyes widened as the bracelet—now split evenly again—began to melt before her. The white half flowed toward the woman's statue, the black toward the man's, forming paths.
As if demanding a choice, the two paths stretched from her feet, glowing faintly and beckoning her.
Karin instinctively knew: white for the Goddess's power, black for the Demon God's.
No need to hesitate. She'd seen with her own eyes what Danil—who attacked the academy—was, and the scars Karsis had left on the southern plains.
The moment she slowly reached out her right hand toward the white path—
"Oh dear. Almost too late."
A unfamiliar woman's voice rang out, accompanied by the sensation of slender fingers wrapping around her neck.
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