Chapter 11. Misy
On the second day since being dragged into the labyrinth.
The first thing I did upon waking up was carefully inspect the state of the protective barrier.
Fortunately, the barrier was intact.
It remained in perfect condition without a single crack.
‘Seems like there were no monster attacks.’
This place certainly felt safer compared to others.
I didn’t know why, but it seemed that monsters avoided stepping foot into this cave.
Of course, I couldn’t make any definitive conclusions yet.
I’d have to watch for a few more days.
After confirming the barrier was completely intact, I shifted my gaze back to the Dog Spider, which I had briefly glanced at when I got up.
[Siii…]
The Dog Spider was sound asleep.
Surprisingly, its body had grown at an astonishing rate in just one night. It was almost the size of the adult form I saw yesterday.
It must have been a monster that grew rapidly.
‘I guess I can’t carry it on my shoulder anymore.’
I stared intently at the fully grown Dog Spider.
As I did, the Jellyfish glanced at me, then approached the Dog Spider and gave it a light smack on the head.
[Peii!]
[Si-Siii?!]
The Dog Spider flinched and woke up from its sleep.
[Peii, Peiii!]
[Siii…]
It must have been annoyed.
Even though I was awake, the Dog Spider had been lazily sprawled out, fast asleep.
Perhaps the Jellyfish took this chance to exact a small revenge.
After all, it had been humiliated yesterday after losing the battle. It might have been harboring a bit of resentment.
***
It was currently 6 AM.
I gathered the monsters for a brief moment.
Then, I asked a question.
“Hey, can you guys evolve?”
Although they were B-rank monsters, their intelligence seemed a bit lacking.
But I figured they should be able to answer this question.
After all, they weren’t completely devoid of monster instincts.
[Sii!]
[Peii!]
Both of them nodded in unison.
I quickly followed up with another question.
“Do you know what the conditions for evolution are?”
[Sii?]
[Peii?]
They both tilted their heads in confusion.
It seemed they didn’t know.
‘So, evolution through predation isn’t the condition, huh? If it were that simple, they would’ve known.’
There were some monsters that grew stronger by consuming other creatures.
For example, the monster Min Hyeong-seok had with him yesterday.
That monster seemed to require the consumption of humans to evolve—a rare case, but still.
Anyway.
For now, I had no way of knowing the evolution conditions for my monsters.
‘I’ll have to figure that out later. I’ve got more pressing matters at hand right now.’
I stood up.
It was about time to go out and gather food and water.
First, I lifted the Assistant Block.
It was still early, so I didn’t expect any Assistants to visit, but it was best to be prepared just in case someone showed up.
***
Both the Dog Spider and I were bestowed with levitation magic and acceleration magic.
Then we headed straight for Passage No. 4.
We didn’t encounter any monsters here.
Neither did we find any food or water, and at the end of the cave stood a massive door blocking the way.
I decided not to open it.
I had a bad feeling about it.
I didn’t know what might be beyond it, and I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.
‘Let’s head back.’
Exploring this place had been somewhat of a waste of time.
But I didn’t mind too much.
Thanks to the Jellyfish’s magic, the exploration time had been significantly reduced.
When I quickly returned to the hideout, I carved some words next to the entrance of Passage No. 4.
<Passage No. 4>
○ No monsters.
○ A massive door is blocking the way.
After making that note, I asked the Jellyfish to cancel the levitation magic cast on us.
If we kept flying, our leg muscles might atrophy.
If I got too used to not using my legs, I might not be able to respond quickly in moments of crisis.
Especially in the Dog Spider’s case.
Its flying skills were so poor that it kept bumping into the walls.
For that reason, we decided to use only acceleration magic and forego levitation magic.
Next up was Passage No. 5.
I wasn’t planning on taking a break.
There had been no gains from Passage No. 4.
Just as I was about to head out without delay, it happened.
『RED-ranked Assistant “Mysticism” tears through dimensions and manifests, gazing at you.』
【Mysticism】─😐
The Assistant named Mysticism had arrived.
It wasn’t a new Assistant.
When I checked the Assistant list, I saw that Mysticism was #002.
“You’re up early.”
【Mysticism】─🌞
I didn’t bother with honorifics.
There was no reason to be formal with someone who only communicated using emoticons.
“You changed your nickname too. Did ‘Mysticism’ mean ‘mystery’ or something?”
【Mysticism】─😎
It seemed determined to keep its identity hidden, just like Pururu.
Why was everyone so keen on hiding their identity?
“You even changed your entrance message… If you’ve got money to spend on things like that, how about supporting me with some coins or supplies?”
【Mysticism】─🤔
It was a thoughtless remark.
I didn’t expect anything.
But then,
『RED-ranked Assistant “Mysticism” has supported you with 5 coins!』
It actually gave me some support.
And a whole 50,000 won at that.
“What the… you actually did it?”
【Mysticism】─🤑
“…Thanks.”
【Mysticism】─😤
Mysticism’s support didn’t stop there.
As soon as I thanked it, another message popped up.
『RED-ranked Assistant “Mysticism” has sent you a supply drop!』
A kitchen knife dropped in front of me.
【Mysticism】─🔪
“A kitchen knife? Wow, thanks again, Misy.”
【Mysticism】─🤔
“Mysticism is too long. I’ll just call you Misy.”
【Mysticism】─😠
“If you don’t like it, reveal your real name.”
【Mysticism】─🤪
“Crazy… Anyway, thanks for the knife. I’ll make good use of it.”
I stored the knife in a box.
It wasn’t suitable as a weapon.
Even if I swung a kitchen knife around, I wouldn’t be able to scratch a living B-rank monster.
‘Alright, let’s head out.’
I entered Passage No. 5.
***
About 20 minutes into the exploration of Passage No. 5.
『RED-ranked Assistant “Pururu” wriggles over and watches you.』
Pururu had arrived.
“Welcome.”
【Pururu】─Hey! Good morning!
【Mysticism】─😐
【Pururu】─Who’s this? A newbie?
【Mysticism】─😶
【Pururu】─Ah, it’s that guy from yesterday, the one who spams those annoying emoticons. Can’t believe this emoticon maniac showed up before me…’
I kept walking.
Deeper into the cave.
【Pururu】─By the way, where’s our little one gone?
“Dog Spider? It’s right next to me.”
【Pururu】─That’s our little one? Did you bring back its mother instead?”
“This is the same one from yesterday.”
【Pururu】─No way, no way, no way!
【Pururu】─Nooo! Give me back my little one!!!
【Pururu】─Why did it grow up so suddenly!!!”
As Pururu was wailing over something trivial, Misy suddenly disappeared from the Assistant list.
Moments later, a new message popped up.
『RED-ranked Assistant “Mysticism” tears through dimensions and manifests, gazing at you.』
【Mysticism】─😏
【Pururu】─?
“Seems like they wanted to show off their new entrance message.”
【Pururu】─Oh, right. It did change.”
【Pururu】─But why did I get a lame message while they got a cool one? Is this rigged?”
【Mysticism】─🤭
Maybe Pururu was upset because its entrance message was childish.
It immediately started re-rolling the entrance gacha.
『RED-ranked Assistant “Pururu” shuffles over and watches you.』
『RED-ranked Assistant “Pururu” hides in another dimension and creepily spies on you.』
『RED-ranked Assistant “Pururu” wriggles over and watches you.』
【Pururu】─What’s with these duplicates? ㅡㅡ
【Pururu】─I’m done.
【Mysticism】─🤣
In the end, it was back to square one.
***
As we continued to move forward.
The narrow and cramped cave gradually expanded, and before long, a vast underground world unfolded before me.
At this point, calling it a “cave” was no longer accurate—it was far too large and majestic.
【Pururu】─Whoa, what is this? Feels like something out of a movie about an underground world.
【Mysticism】─😨
【Pururu】─Why are there so many trees? Are those all apple trees?
【Pururu】─At least there don’t seem to be any monsters.
“…No. There are monsters.”
【Pururu】─?? Where? All I see are apple trees.
Hundreds of trees sprouted from the ground, scattered throughout the vast underground space.
Apples hung from their branches.
The moment I saw those apples, I instinctively knew.
Those things were monsters.
‘They’re too far away to be sure, but it looks like they’re all B-rank.’
I decided to lure a few of them over and catch them.
If I was lucky, they might turn out to be something I could eat.