Chapter 208: The Complete Fulfillment of All Want
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 208: The Complete Fulfillment of All Want
There is one absolute rule that any adventurer playing Abyss of the Labyrinth must keep in mind.
‘Never trust anyone outside your own party.’
The Labyrinth is a place rife with lies, deceit, and betrayal.
I’ve learned that the hard way, haven’t I?
Take Sally, for instance—a genuine marauder who claimed she was being attacked by marauders and begged for help.
Or Antonelli, who said he just wanted to get the ossuary with Birtanen's party to save Gildal.
Or Lilweed, who proposed we find the ironworks, retrieve the hammer, and start a business together.
What were they really like?
They were all scammers, just waiting for the right moment to backstab me.
Of course, the White Lion could be telling the truth.
Assuming everything he says is a lie would be a rash judgment.
But whether or not I cooperate with this bastard is a separate issue.
“You killed Professor Dalstream.”
Sorry, but I tend to hold a grudge.
I’m not the type to let things slide, and more importantly, the helplessness I felt back then, the gratitude and guilt I felt toward Dalstream for protecting me…
Until I can sort through those feelings, there’s no room for compromise with you.
“I’m not joining hands with you.”
“How emotional,” the White Lion said, disappointed.
“No. This is rational, White Lion. Even if your story is all true, so what?”
Nothing had changed.
Just because Wizus is a son of a bitch doesn't make the Labyrinth Master a good guy.
The God-King in the age of myths, the Labyrinth Master, handing over the world…
Why the hell should I care?
“In the end, the Labyrinth Master is still going to destroy the surface, isn’t he?”
“…”
“And it’s also a fact that you sacrificed your entire kingdom to the Labyrinth.”
“Being consumed by the Labyrinth is also different from what you think,” the White Lion said, still trying to persuade me.
“It was supposed to happen that way at the end of the age of myths. The Labyrinth Master was meant to awaken, flip the Hourglass, and absorb the world.”
The White Lion saw beyond.
He had witnessed the true world, one that flowed as it was meant to.
In the Abyss of the Labyrinth.
The Abyss is a place where illusions become reality, where the mind gains physical power.
When the Hourglass was flipped and his turn began, what kind of world would unfold within the Labyrinth Master's mind?
The White Lion had seen it.
There was a floor-town that was a perfect replica of the ancient elves' fairy forest.
It was far more beautiful than the real thing.
Crossing a bridge over a brilliant blue stream, you could see golden white lotus fish the size of a forearm swimming below.
You could see elves hunting the fish with bows. You could see children with healthy, pale limbs running through the fields.
Walking along a path through the lush bushes, you could see cicadas clinging to trees, chirping maem-maem.
And past the reed fields stood his castle. The castle of the Fairy King. The banner of the Wizard King fluttered in the wind.
And on the castle wall, she was there.
The Fairy Queen.
She was holding their seven-year-old daughter. They were brimming with life. Their time would never end.
‘Daddy.’
The child came pattering down the stairs and tugged at the Fairy King’s hand.
You promised we’d go riding today.
It was a promise the Fairy King had long forgotten.
It wasn't a dream or an illusion. It wasn't a fake or a lie, but the world that should have existed.
If Wizus hadn't intervened, this is how it would have been.
Finally, the White Lion understood.
Why does the Labyrinth grant adventurers what they desire?
Why does the Labyrinth endlessly spew out riches?
It was because of the Labyrinth Master.
The mental power flowing from the Abyss and its ability to ‘actualize’ were what generously provided for adventurers when they wished for something with all their hearts.
The Labyrinth wasn't the entrails of a man-eating demon. What adventurers gained in the Labyrinth were fragments of the rights that all mortals on the surface were originally meant to enjoy.
If only Wizus hadn't interfered between turns and messed everything up.
If only the Labyrinth Master’s turn had been allowed to proceed.
Then it would have been possible. In the world the Labyrinth Master would create, no one would feel a shred of anxiety, fear, or pain. No one’s time would ever run out. They would enjoy endless happiness for all eternity. It was to live inside a treasure room, to enter a treasure chest that opened infinitely.
Human greed may be endless, but so too is the Labyrinth Master’s mental power.
The complete fulfillment of all want.
That was the true nature of the Labyrinth.
“Monk. In that world, you won't have to choose between Kalung's teachings and your family. You will live in a world where Kalung encourages you to start a family,” the White Lion said to Aimus.
“Rogue. In that world, you won't have to worry about your curse harming anyone. You will simply be a beloved soldier, and Sharas, the war shaman of the Orc Legion you lost, and Legion Commander Mookup will return. A world where the risk of losing someone is gone forever will unfold,” the White Lion said to Back Attack.
“Elf. In that world, you can return to the fairy forest. You will no longer feel any loneliness or sense of loss. If you wish, you can even invite the friends you love, the ones you made in Sohen, to the fairy forest. You can fish with your friends there,” the White Lion said to Yernil.
“This is what we all could have enjoyed long ago if Wizus hadn't interfered. But it's not too late,” the White Lion said.
“Join the Labyrinth's final plan. It is the complete fulfillment of all want. An eternal treasure room. Cooperate so that the Labyrinth Master can devour Wizus. And…”
He pointed at me.
“Hand over the Hourglass you possess to the Labyrinth Master.”
But this guy…
It seems…
“Where did you hide that giant Hourglass?”
He seems to think I have the colossal Hourglass from the Ethereal Galaxy.
Mine’s just a tiny 60-second one, though.
“I agree with Caleb. Nothing has changed.”
Bipa unfolded her fan.
“You’ve rambled on for quite a while, but in the end, you can’t prove a single thing, can you?”
“…”
“Besides, even if it were true, it doesn’t sound so great. In the end, you destroyed your own kingdom and failed to save your daughter, didn’t you? I have to stop the Great Eruption of the Labyrinth. I can’t just let the surface be destroyed.”
“Even your actions now…”
The White Lion frowned.
“...were designed by Wizus. You’re all dancing right on his board.”
He held out his left hand, pulling a scroll from his palm.
“I knew it wouldn't be easy to make you understand the truth of the Labyrinth, to overcome your ignorance. That’s why we gave up on explaining. We had no choice but to make you accept it after everything was over.”
He tore the scroll.
“In any case, you are the most troublesome obstacle to the Master’s plan. Especially you, Caleb.”
The scroll contained Tier 9 magic.
Commonly known as the Forest of Death.
“You will be digested here. Your Hourglass will be offered to the Labyrinth Master.”
An eerie sound echoed from the fairy forest set up in the floor-town.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
The corners of the White Lion’s mouth crept up into a slight smile.
“You said I couldn’t save my daughter?”
Wizus can steal time, but he cannot trespass upon the power of the Labyrinth.
[This is Hijikata. Caleb, are you on the 7th floor by any chance? Do not, under any circumstances, go down to the 8th floor.]
The message was returned.
“So he’s not on the 7th floor either, fuck.”
Hijikata clutched his head.
“No, seriously, just how fast are these bastards?!” Gadozumi screamed.
“You don’t think they’re already having a showdown with the Labyrinth Master, do you?” Soyul said, worriedly touching her forehead.
“What should we do? Do we go to the 8th floor now?” Gildal asked.
“No! Of course not! Gildal! Get a grip!”
Gadozumi leaped onto the dokkebi’s shoulder and slapped his cheeks.
“This is really impossible. We’re already way past our limit. Besides, what’s the point of us going down to the 8th floor to stop Caleb from going there?!”
“He’s right. I think it’s best we return to the 6th floor, clear the exit room, and get out,” said Soyul of the Fox Spirit tribe.
“And let’s ask the Deep Layer adventurers for help.”
“Alright.”
Hijikata turned to the druidic Fairy Matriarch and her knightly order, who had given them gills.
“Thank you, Fairy Matriarch. But I think our journey ends here.”
“…”
The Fairy Matriarch stared at Hijikata blankly.
“You’re not going down to the 8th floor?”
“We can’t. It’s impossible.”
“So you’re going to clear the 6th floor, get out, and request support from the Deep Layer adventurers?”
“That’s the plan. The 7th floor exit room seems like it would be too difficult.”
Hijikata was feeling a great deal of anxiety.
His party had cleared the 5th floor before. They had studied it thoroughly and knew it well.
But they had never even heard of a Floor Lord like that cobra.
And a Lancer? A monster like that was roaming the 8th floor?
The atmosphere in the Labyrinth was unsettling.
“There might be other Floor Lords,” Hijikata said.
“We need to ask the Consul to rescue the adventurers currently in the Labyrinth…”
The Elf Matriarch’s arm twisted at a bizarre angle, taking on the texture of a tree root.
It shot forward with incredible speed, aiming to crush Hijikata’s head, but…
‘Shadow Leap!’
Gadozumi reacted in the nick of time and saved him.
“I knew something was fucking weird.”
The kappa drew his dagger.
“What are you?”
Gildal stepped forward, aiming his club. Hijikata had already drawn his sword.
Clang! Clang!
The knights of the order drew their swords as well.
“The knights are in on it too? You… are you a Floor Lord? Drop the disguise!” Hijikata shouted.
“No.”
The Fairy Matriarch slowly shook her head.
“I am not wearing a disguise.”
“…”
“I didn’t want to harm you with my own hands, but I have no choice. You know too much, and you plan to spread the word.”
“If you’re not a Floor Lord, and the Matriarch of the fairy forest wouldn’t be a marauder, then why are you attacking us?” Soyul cried out.
“…”
The Elf Matriarch slowly lowered her head.
“Because my father called.”
“What?”
“You don’t need to know.”
The Fairy Matriarch snapped her fingers.
In truth, wiping out Hijikata’s party wasn’t difficult for her.
“H-hold your breath!” Gadozumi shouted.
The gills had vanished!
The kappa could hold his breath for a long time, but the other three could not.
“—!”
Soyul was already clutching her mouth, her face contorted in pain.
With his lifespan now measured in seconds, Hijikata’s sword hand trembled.
How could this happen after we’ve come so far…
In the Labyrinth, even the strongest could be sent to the afterlife with a moment of carelessness or a single mistake.
He knew that well, but still.
To drown here?
This ending was too cruel.
Grglrglrgl!
Gildal panicked. He charged forward, spewing bubbles from his mouth. No. It wasn't panic.
‘Gildal!’
That foolish dokkebi was doing the same thing as before—sacrificing himself to save the party. To buy time for the others.
‘Run!’
The dokkebi’s left hand was pointing at the gate to the stairs leading up to the 6th floor.
‘Huh?’
And as she turned her head in that direction, Soyul witnessed a dreamlike scene.
“What?”
A dazzlingly beautiful Fox Spirit was standing there.
“A Fox Spirit?”
She was surprised to see Soyul, too. It wasn't easy to meet another Fox Spirit in the Sohen Labyrinth.
But the gap in their power was immense. Soyul had a mere five tails, but this woman had eight.
She was a legendary figure from Fox Ridge. Rumored to have died long ago.
‘Hyedam!’
The most powerful Deep Layer Shaman had long since laid down her duty as a guardian.
“Breathe.”
But she was not one to let one of her few remaining kin drown.
The eight-tailed Fox Spirit’s bead glowed. Hijikata’s party could breathe again.
With the White Lion tearing the scroll, negotiations broke down.
The battle was intense from the very start.
CRASH!
Something burst through the wall and stormed in.
The branches and roots of the fox forest were invading the inside of the fortress.
Each of those branches was a living monster.
But the real problem wasn't them, but…
“A Lancer!”
The Lancer of Black Rock that had been chasing our party on the 8th floor smashed through the fortress wall. And behind him…
‘A Gunner Shark!’
A monstrous shark carrying a massive main cannon entered with him. In an instant, the enemies formed a four-person party formation.
And the last one?
“Hsssss.”
I’d never seen it before, but I recognized it at once.
Its shell was covered in colorful mushrooms. It looked exactly like the image engraved on the 6th-floor commemorative coin I’d seen before.
The Mushroom Beetle!
Clang!
Click.
Aimus and Mugol stepped forward at the same time.
Zzzzing!
Yernil drew her bow.
‘Leaping Ambush.’
The White Lion gave me no time to breathe, launching a surprise attack immediately.
He had judged me to be a greater threat than the Deep Layer warrior and Taoist.
The monster’s dagger shot straight for my carotid artery. But…
CLANG!
A dagger blocked the dagger. I could feel Back Attack’s murderous gaze intersecting with the White Lion’s over my shoulder.
“Caleb.”
Bipa unfolded her fan.
“I’ll match your magic. Cast as you please.”
BOOM!
TWANG!
The main cannon and Yernil’s bow fired simultaneously.
And Aimus’s parasol and the Lancer’s black rock spear deflected the projectiles at the same time.
[Your turn has begun. Time remaining: 60 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■■■■■]
The first thing I did was flip the Hourglass.