Chapter 93. Intruder
50th Day in the Labyrinth.
I decided to test the power I had liberated.
I engaged in a mock battle with the Hedgehog Summoner’s spirits.
At first, I focused solely on dodging without counterattacking.
“Doodoombaah!”
“Doodoodoomba!”
The spirits’ movements became clear, like a scene from a slow-motion movie.
I minimized unnecessary actions and dodged all attacks with the least amount of movement.
‘My evasion skills are good.’
Next, I let all the attacks hit my body.
I felt confident that my life wouldn’t be in danger, so I attempted something reckless.
As long as the attacks didn’t target my weak spots or concentrate on a single area, I wouldn’t get injured.
“Doodoombaahk!”
“Doomba! Doodoodoombaahk!”
Just as I expected, I suffered no harm.
Even when the spirits’ attacks hit me directly, it felt no more than a gentle breeze brushing my skin.
Of course, I deliberately allowed attacks aimed at vital points to graze me slightly.
No matter how strong a being is, there are always weak spots.
It wouldn’t be good to have those weak points attacked.
“Doodoomba! You’re solid!”
“You’re solid! I read in a book that being solid is good!”
【Pururu】─ What kind of book did you even read?
The Hedgehog and Merino clapped like seals as they cheered at the sight.
I then launched my counterattack.
As the spirits charged toward me, I focused my strength into my arm and threw a punch.
Paaang!
The spirit I struck disappeared cleanly, as if torn apart by the force that cut through the air.
The destructive power was decent.
It wasn’t bad at all.
“Hoeeeeng! What a terrifying punch! If I got hit by that, I’d die for sure!”
“Oh! How amazing, Explorer!”
Merino and the Centaurides cheered for me.
【Pururu】─ Both your attack and defense are perfect.
【Mysticism】─ Your evasion is excellent too! 😀
【Bubble Bubble】─ You’re not quite there yet.
For the record, the other spirits avoided my attacks while performing the Doodoomba dance.
That dance was incredibly effective.
I began to wonder if it was one of the top evasion techniques across dimensions.
Even so, it was too silly for me to consider learning it.
“Hedgehog, the mock battle is over. You can unsummon your spirits.”
“Doodoomba! Got it! You worked hard!”
***
At first, five sealing sigils were engraved on my back.
But now, only three remain.
Melody Fox erased one, and Niara Nepensis removed another, leaving me in a state where two stages of my power were liberated.
With this much power.
I possessed strength comparable to an A-rank on the danger scale, which meant I could face SS-rank labyrinth monsters. Monsters around explorers had their power weakened to A-rank.
Unfortunately.
It was beyond Nepensis’s power to release any more seals.
The reason was simple.
Niara Nepensis’s power was currently weakened, leaving her stuck at an A-rank level, and she couldn’t break through seals beyond that.
She even said herself that it was impossible.
We tried a few times just in case, but all attempts failed.
“I’m sorry, my son.”
“······.”
Her tone had softened compared to the overbearing way she spoke when she was alive.
Seeing Niara Nepensis with that sinister face and a compassionate expression—it was hard to get used to it.
【Yumi】─ If Niara hadn’t been nerfed, she could’ve released up to the fourth stage, right?
Anyway.
Even though I’d regained A-rank strength.
I had no intention of fighting monsters directly unless I absolutely had to.
Whether the enemy was SS-rank or S-rank.
Unless it was a situation I couldn’t avoid, I would stay back.
Why avoid S-rank monsters, you ask?
Because some monsters come with unpredictable variables.
Like the Curse Devil Gentleman standing right in front of me.
“Yohoho! Even if you’ve gotten stronger, Explorer, you must always stay in a safe place! If you meet one of my kin, your life will be in danger!”
The Curse Devil Gentleman.
It’s said countless explorers have died at the hands of its kin.
There were no official statistics, but he claimed that his kind probably killed more explorers than any other species.
And it was said that Curse Devil Gentlemen could even kill beings more powerful than themselves.
That ultimate curse he showed me before.
A decaying curse triggered upon death.
Upon death, the weakening of their power is lifted, and the curse consumes its target without being weakened either.
Of course, he can’t use that curse now.
He’s currently a soulless puppet, after all.
The ultimate curse requires a soul as a sacrifice to activate.
In any case, given the existence of monsters like him, I needed to be cautious, even with my seals released.
Getting arrogant and roaming around recklessly could land me in serious trouble.
‘If I ever have to fight myself… I’ll only fight monsters one rank below me, and if it’s an equal-level monster, I’ll retreat no matter what. You can never guarantee the outcome against something at your level.’
To face an SS-rank (nerfed to A-rank), I needed to release three stages of my power.
For an SSS-rank (nerfed to S-rank), four stages.
And if there were monsters beyond that, I would only engage them after fully unsealing all my power.
‘The risk is too high if I’m not fighting from a position of superiority.’
As I said before.
I only fight battles I’m sure I can win.
With more companions depending on me now, if the outcome seemed uncertain, it was better to run away, even if it looked cowardly.
‘Well, a situation like that probably won’t come up. I’ll always keep monsters by my side, anyway.’
I finished organizing my thoughts.
【Pururu】─ Hey, Geon. I’ve got a question.
Seo Dan-bi posted a chat.
It had been a while since she last asked something.
“What is it?”
【Pururu】─ Azeras was around S-rank when she was an explorer, right? Could she have fought SSS-rank monsters?
“Probably, yes.”
【Pururu】─ Even ones like Solorb?
I called Azeras and asked.
Had she ever fought someone like Solorb when she was an explorer?
Her answer was:
“I have never fought Solorb… but I did fight the Giant Bone Fiend.”
“Giant Bone Fiend? That name sounds familiar.”
As I tilted my head in confusion,
“It’s the monster that killed my body’s original owner, Min Hyeong-seok. The giant skeleton monster you also saw, Master.”
Neo Hyeong-seok chimed in with an explanation.
Only then did I remember the Giant Bone Fiend.
“Ah, its name was Giant Bone Fiend? I’d forgotten. But Azeras, you actually fought that thing?”
“Yes…”
“And the result?”
“I was utterly, brutally defeated… I thought it was at a similar level to me, so I challenged it, but I was no match… That’s when I began to feel anxious… wondering if I was truly becoming stronger…”
【Pururu】─ So there was a big gap in power even though it was the same S-rank. Dang.
【Bubble Bubble】─ I guess even if an SSS-rank gets nerfed to S-rank, their base power is still different.
【Mysticism】─😶
Looks like my judgment was correct.
My decision to fight only from a lower rank was validated.
“But you managed to survive, even after losing.”
“I apologized, and it forgave me.”
“…The Giant Bone Fiend let you off because you apologized?”
“It told me not to challenge it again and left…”
Hmm. Despite its appearance, the Giant Bone Fiend was surprisingly gentle.
【Pururu】─ Does that make sense? Sounds like a lie.
【Mysticism】─ Azeras, are you bluffing? Did you really fight it? 😠
While chatting with Azeras, I heard Merino’s voice from a short distance away.
“Yanyang! Everyone, gather up for a meal!”
It seemed the meal was ready.
Azeras and I headed toward Merino.
Today’s menu was pancakes made with blood.
As expected from a dish made by Merino, the taste was excellent.
As I was enjoying the meal with the monsters,
『Intruder Alert!』
A message suddenly popped up in front of me.
It wasn’t the usual translucent text but large, bold red letters, completely opaque.
『An uninvited mortal has entered the Ancient Labyrinth!』
『Number of Intruders: 31,390』
『All explorers in the Ancient Labyrinth are advised to take shelter in a safe place.』
What now?
***
Somewhere in the Ancient Labyrinth.
A massive dimensional rift opened, connecting to the Celestial Realm.
From beyond the gap, countless Celestial beings marched in orderly ranks, entering the Ancient Labyrinth in a disciplined formation.
“Hmm. Is this where Lady Niara is?”
“This place has an ominous energy. It’s definitely not an ordinary world.”
“Ah, did we really need to come? Isn’t this a bit too much worry? There’s no way Lady Niara’s in any real danger, right?”
There were exactly
31,390 of them.
By Kang Geon’s assessment of danger levels:
SS-rank: 7, S-rank: 1,383, A-rank: 30,000.
Their true identity?
The followers of the Creator God, Niara Nepensis.
They had formed a large-scale search party after Niara went to another world in pursuit of the Fallen God Lilith Morphea and never returned.
“Thank you, God of Dimensions.”
“Since it’s a task to find my mother, this much effort is nothing.”
Normally, opening a portal connected to the Ancient Labyrinth would be nearly impossible.
But it wasn’t completely out of reach.
Niara’s followers were bound to her by a soul connection, and the same went for the one called the God of Dimensions.
With the power of the god who governed dimensions, their soul connection allowed them to track her location.
After selecting one of the countless worlds governed by the Celestial Realm,
They sacrificed that world as an offering over and over again, until they finally created a portal to the place where Niara was located.
Of course.
It helped that the Ancient Labyrinth’s dimensional barrier had been neglected for a long time, weakening its ability to block intruders.
In any case, they had no idea what this place was.
They didn’t know this was the Ancient Labyrinth.
Nor did they know that Niara was dead.
Niara’s soul still wandered within the Ancient Labyrinth.
Now a blank, pure white slate.
Believing wholeheartedly that Niara was still alive, her followers all successfully entered the Ancient Labyrinth.
And once the dimensional rift closed again.
“It’s been a long time since beings from another world entered the Ancient Labyrinth of their own will… It seems the dimensional barrier has weakened.”
A figure slowly appeared before the Celestial army.
“Having so many intruders is quite unusual.”
It was none other than Croc, the Crocodile Merchant, a wandering trader.
“Nice to meet you. I am the Crocodile Merchant.”
The Celestials’ attention immediately focused on Croc.
“That’s enough of an introduction. Let me get straight to the point. This is a world you’re not supposed to enter by force.”
In the Ancient Labyrinth, intruders were not welcomed like the Drifters.
The Ancient Labyrinth only accepted those who were invited.
Explorers personally chosen by the Labyrinth or Drifters caught in a Dark Portal were treated as invited guests.
But intruders who forced their way through dimensions were always excluded.
And it was neutral monsters like the Crocodile Merchant who took on the role of expelling them.
“So, would you kindly return of your own accord?”
They were perplexed.
What was this crocodile standing before them?
What gave him the confidence to spout such nonsense in front of them?
It didn’t make sense.
Naturally, the Celestials couldn’t sense any power from Croc.
He seemed like a being far below their level.
His soul didn’t appear particularly impressive, either.
So, they thought it was just a worm trying to bluff.
“How dare a lowly creature speak so rudely. Doesn’t it recognize divinity?”
“These beings of this world seem unable to recognize gods.”
“For a moment, I felt this world had a higher rank than the Celestial Realm… but that must have been a mistake.”
“How irritating. Someone, dispose of this bug immediately.”
They soon regretted their decision.
“What a pity. I gave you a chance.”
Croc slowly brought his hands together.
“Before the beginning, beyond the end, I send you away.”
As Croc recited this incantation,
They felt his true soul with their entire being.
Croc casually clapped his hands together.
Clap.
The moment that small sound echoed,
The souls of tens of thousands of Celestials vanished from existence in an instant.
Those who had been standing on the ground collapsed simultaneously, like puppets with their strings cut.
Those floating in the sky, now lifeless, rained down like a sudden downpour. It was as if a vast flock of birds had suddenly lost their wings.
“Hmm. I’ve erased all the impure souls… Their soulless bodies will make good nourishment for the Labyrinth. Perhaps creatures resembling them will be born here one day.”
Croc walked toward the pile of Celestial corpses.
He rummaged through them, gathering any useful loot.
“It was a hassle dealing with them, but thanks to these intruders, I now have more goods to sell to the explorers. Not bad. This looks good, and that too…”
With a satisfied smile.
Croc packed up his loot and left the scene as if nothing had happened.
***
『All uninvited mortals have been eliminated.』
『Number of Intruders: 0』
Not long after the warning message appeared, the number of intruders dropped to zero.
『Explorers may now resume their exploration.』
Neither the Centaurides nor Azeras knew what the intruders were.
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong? Are you worried about something?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Yangyang.”
Well, it didn’t seem like anything worth paying attention to.
I’d find out later if it was important.
Since they were all dead anyway, I decided not to think about it for now.