Chapter 37: The Monster Within the Labyrinth, Manticore (1)
Crunch, crunch—!
The Manticore ravenously devoured its prey, snapping its jagged teeth together.
The sound of it chewing succulent meat echoed through the silent space.
‘This way!’
Meanwhile, Gale and the others, who had been frozen in place, snapped back to their senses and once again hid inside the barrier Sercia had created.
There was no attempt to respond to the sudden chaos.
‘We endure… until that thing moves away.’
They focused entirely on minimizing their breathing, their presence, anything that might give away the fact that they were still alive.
Those who had awakened their mana were born with heightened instincts, and such instincts often acted like a sixth sense.
—If we’re discovered here… we’re dead.
As they held their breath in silence,
<Mm, this fragrant flesh.>
The Manticore, licking the blood from its lips with its snake-like tongue, slowly rose.
Its massive body loomed like a mountain.
<An excellent appetizer… As expected of the Gnaude line—fine cuisine, even after all this time.>
Boom—! Boom—!
Relishing the long-awaited meal, the Manticore began walking leisurely, and each step sent tremors through the ground.
<……>
But suddenly, it stopped. Gale and his group tensed up.
<……Ha, hahaha!>
Fortunately, the grey eyes wide open were not staring at them, but at the murals painted all around the sealed chamber.
The Manticore laughed hoarsely, but its face soon twisted into a wrathful snarl.
<How dare they seal me… in a place like this!>
Its gaze fixated on a particular mural on the ceiling—
It depicted a blond-haired man wielding lightning, as if ready to strike down.
<I won’t forgive you! You wretched Pulgor! Even if you were cast into sulfuric flames 666 times, it wouldn't be enough!>
The Manticore glared at the image with pure hatred, then stretched its maw to the limit.
From deep within its throat, a blazing red light gathered—
Shooooom!
A massive beam of light shot forth, obliterating the beautiful mural.
<Kahahahaha! You really thought you could confine me in a place like this?!>
The Manticore bared its sharp teeth and burst into manic laughter, then fired another red beam.
<I’ll destroy everything!>
Crack—!
Even the thick walls supporting the ceiling began to split.
The entire space was collapsing!
<I’ll devour everything you Pulgor have built and establish a new nation—Sodom and Gomorrah!>
Ruuuuumble…!
The already ruined floor couldn’t withstand the shock and collapsed into a bottomless pit.
“……!? Everyone, move!”
Gale and his companions, standing on the last stable area, couldn’t escape the impact.
They scattered, narrowly avoiding a deadly fall.
It was a desperate act for survival.
<Ah.>
But because of that—
<Looks like there’s more to eat.>
“……!”
They had been discovered by the monster—something far beyond their ability to face.
<I’m still hungry.>
The grey eyes gleamed in the dark and curved into a crescent.
It was clearly enjoying this.
***
Boom!
With a flushed face, Pan slammed the desk in rage.
“What?! Say that again!”
Papers flew into the air from the cracked desk.
The assistant examiner standing before the furious president of the Hunter Association flinched.
“Y-Yes, sir! C-Currently, the examinees are trapped in the underground labyrinth and… they were attacked by an unidentified individual, presumed to be the former examinee, ‘Zeraphe Gnaude’! We also received reports of abnormal behavior from the monsters within the labyrinth!”
“Tch! Can we monitor the situation through video spheres? What about teleportation magic?!”
“Unfortunately, all sky fish and surveillance spheres have been destroyed. And the underground coordinates are unstable, so… teleportation seems impossible.”
“…Ha, this is insane.”
Pan Tveron groaned, rubbing his forehead, but then his eyes flared with sharp intensity.
“Assistant Examiner, you’re not lying to me, are you?”
“N-No, sir! Absolutely not!”
“Then why are you reporting to me? Where is the Chief Examiner?!”
Pan stormed out of the office, and the assistant examiner hurried after him, stammering.
“T-The large-scale quake inside the labyrinth cut off the connection between the surface and underground… The Chief Examiner and the Hunters in Mediale are currently trying to open a passage down.”
“What?”
Pan stopped in his tracks and turned, looking ready to grab the man by the collar.
“The entrance from the surface is also blocked? Then what about the seal?! What happened to it?!”
“It seems… highly likely that the seal has been broken. We believe the quake was the direct result of the seal’s collapse.”
Pan clenched his fist, his expression darkening with rage.
“I warned them… Holding the exam in the labyrinth was a bad idea!”
He was one of the few who knew about the ancient labyrinth beneath Mediale.
Why was it built underground… what kind of monster was imprisoned there…
He knew better than anyone.
—But Chairman Tveron, reconsider. Haven’t we used the same process for decades?
Several years ago, talk had begun within the association about changing the exam format.
—It’s time for a change. Repeating the same evaluation method lowers the prestige of our Hunters.
With rising support over the years, Pan was eventually forced to agree.
But he firmly opposed one suggestion.
—If we’re going to change the exam, why not hold it in the Mediale labyrinth? It’s time we reveal its existence to the world.
—…It’s too soon.
—No! This could be a historic moment to inform the world of the ancient labyrinth!
The proposal: holding the third practical exam inside the labyrinth.
—But it hasn’t been fully investigated yet…! And isn’t it where the ancient monster, the Manticore, is sealed? We can’t risk something unknown happening during an exam!
Even as president, Pan didn’t have absolute power.
—Haha! You worry too much, Chairman. A Hunter must face the unknown. The labyrinth is perfect for that.
—Still…!
—Chairman. This is the collective decision of the Council of Elders, and as their representative, I formally recommend it to the President.
—…Understood. I will comply.
The World Hunter Association had a Council of Elders that held real power, and their influence was still strong.
Pan couldn’t refuse.
—However! I will assign a Special-Class Hunter from the Yellow rank, Elwin Krieger, as a secret overseer for the exam.
—……
—For safety and proper evaluation, of course.
“…Elwin?”
Suddenly remembering Elwin, Pan shouted,
“He’s in the labyrinth too! Has there been no word from him?!”
Elwin had entered the labyrinth as a secret overseer.
“Wasn’t he given a direct communication device? What is he doing right now?!”
If anyone could solve this, it would be him…
Pan asked with a sliver of hope, but the assistant examiner’s expression was grim.
“T-The communication itself is working, but…”
“…Don’t tell me.”
Pan’s expression darkened with realization.
“He… hasn’t been able to enter the sealed chamber where the Manticore was imprisoned…”
That area had been blocked off on all sides.
The ancients had built the labyrinth next to the sealed chamber and sealed off its entrance—
So that the Manticore’s followers could never reach it and break the seal.
“We’re not sure why, but when the seal was broken, it triggered a ‘restricted access barrier’ over the area.”
“……”
“It’s possible the mastermind, Zeraphe Gnaude, erected the barrier himself. He is called a genius magician, after all…”
“…Hah. Is that what you think?”
Pan scoffed.
“You’re new, aren’t you? From the Bartrand family?”
“Y-Yes… That’s right. I just finished training and received my assignment.”
“That explains it.”
“Excuse me?”
The assistant examiner didn’t understand.
‘Or maybe he does—he just hasn’t experienced it firsthand. The prestige of a Special-Class Hunter…’
Even if someone was considered a brilliant magician, that was all they were.
A mere 2nd-Class magician erected a barrier that Elwin couldn’t break? Ridiculous!
If Zeraphe Gnaude were a genius rivaling the heavens, he would’ve proven it long ago.
Like Elwin did.
Pan could understand if it were someone like the Black Special-Class Hunter, who was Elwin’s equal.
But he was currently in the Northern Continent—and no other magician of his level existed today.
So the conclusion was simple:
‘Zeraphe Gnaude is a smokescreen. There’s a hidden mastermind.’
Pan kept hearing the Council’s final words echo in his mind.
—Very well. We permit the involvement of Special-Class Hunter Elwin Krieger. However… We hope he will provide a proper evaluation.
Clearly, the Council had been scheming from the beginning.
“From the start… we were playing into their hands.”
Pan muttered cynically, his mustache twitching.
“They must be thrilled. Thinking everything’s going perfectly while I’m left flailing.”
But… he still had a card left to play.
“Assistant Examiner! Who currently has the direct line to Elwin?”
“Chief Examiner Arey Oswald! And the device connected to him is with me.”
“Good. Connect me to him now.”
The assistant examiner quickly pulled out the communicator.
[Chairman? This is Arey Oswald.]
“Chief Examiner. I’ll be brief—this is urgent. Relay my message to the Yellow Special-Class Hunter immediately.”
[…What should I tell him?]
“Tell him this. Whatever scheme you were plotting… I’ll overlook it.”
Pan Tveron slowly smiled.
“Just make sure you take care of this properly.”
***
[…That’s what he said.]
“Ahaha! That’s Pan for you! I figured he had some idea. Maybe not the details, but still.”
Seated calmly beneath the collapsed cavern, Elwin burst into laughter.
“Thanks, Arey. Leave the rest to me.”
[What do you plan to do?]
“Don’t worry. I’ve already…”
A golden glint flashed in Elwin’s blue eyes.
“…laid all the groundwork.”