âItâs so hot in here...â Viola muttered in a low voice, not even bothering to wipe the sweat dripping down her chin.
âGreys, how long have we been in the labyrinth?â
âWell... I suppose weâve been in here for more than half a day, right?â Greys replied with a low sigh. He felt like tossing off his armor right away.
âNo, it hasnât been that long since we entered this place.â
â...What? I couldâve sworn weâve been here for at least that long...â
When Beikan refuted Greysâ assumption, Viola looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.
âIt feels like that because weâve been seeing the same scenery,â Kinu Mukari explained as he handed them his flask.
âHow can you be so sure ?â
âItâs simple. You count your steps to estimate the time. Master also marks the path at regular intervals.â
âAn experienced hunter would check with their breathing, but Iâm not quite at that level yet.â
â...â
Although Kinu and Beikan spoke about it casually, constantly counting oneâs steps to keep track of time wasnât something an ordinary person could do.
âHonestly, this is nothing. Whatâs most surprising is the fact that nothing has happened since we entered the labyrinth. Thatâs probably why you two have lost track of time.â
With that, everyone glanced at Karyl up ahead. Although this dungeon was as complex as a maze, Karyl confidently pushed forward with no hesitation. There hadnât been any operating mechanisms or triggered traps thus far, and they hadnât encountered a single monster either. All they had done was follow Karyl deeper into the dungeon.
âThe surprising thing is that barbarians like you and us from the continent are working together to clear a dungeon.â
At Violaâs words, the others smiled bitterly. They had seen each other fight in the field of the Twin Armor after clearing three dungeons. Beikan, Kinu, and Greys recognized each other as warriors, even after leaving their tribes.
âItâs best to drink lots of water. Unlike with Gray Orcs or Lizardmen, the air in an S-rank dungeon is thick with potent mana, so even the act of walking will quickly wear you down.â
âIn that aspect, barbarians have an advantage.â
"That might be one of the reasons they are such excellent hunters. Ironically, the empire calls it heresy."
â...â
âWatch your step.â
Karyl pointed to the marble floor ahead, and Viola instantly stopped moving.
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âThatâll activate a trap.â
Like someone who had navigated through dozens of labyrinths, Karyl had passed the final trap with ease before finally coming to a stop.
âIs this... where the final monster is?â Viola asked in a low voice before throwing an empty flask on the ground.
Reaching the end of the labyrinth, the group came across a massive statue that looked like it had been waiting for them.
âIs that a person...?â
It was a statue of a man sitting on a throne like a king. He was gripping a thick bastard sword embedded into the ground, his head crooked as he gazed down. The statue was so intricate that it almost seemed alive.
âHeâs also a demi-human. The master of the dungeon and the King of Monsters, Minos.â
Karyl pointed to the two beast statues standing beside the throne.
âThis monster with a hawkâs head on a human body is Aeacus of the East. And this monster, a wyvern, a subspecies of dragons, is Rhadamanthos of the West.â
At his explanation, everyone looked at the statues with tense expressions. The massive monsters, seemingly ready to pounce, were terrifying even to look at.
âTheyâre the ones weâll need to defeat.â
Rumble...
As if answering his words, a mysterious roar came from deep within the labyrinth.
âBeikan, Kinu, remove the chains from the statues. The rest of you, step back.â
Karyl pointed to the gold and silver treasures scattered around the throne.
âThe statues react to mana. Theyâll come to life when someone tries to take the jewels.â
âHuh... Tempting adventurers with jewels. Rather petty for an S-rank dungeon, if you ask me,â Viola commented as she slowly got behind Greys.
âPetty tricks often work well. Not all renowned adventurers venture into such dungeons because of a sense of duty.
âHmm...â Viola nodded at Karylâs words.
Swish... Swish...
Thud!
Beikan and Kinu climbed onto the statues, unwrapping the chains from the monsters' necks. The chains slipped into Minosâ hand before falling to the ground with a loud clatter.
âHup...!â
The chains were thicker than Beikanâs arms. As he slung them over his shoulder, his sturdy legs wobbled under the weight.
âWhat do you plan to do with that?â
âThereâs a strategy for every dungeon. For lower-rank dungeons, simply defeating the boss is enough, but those of higher ranks are different.â
Beikan nodded at Karylâs words. He had already experienced this when hunting the Lord of the Rolling Hills. The Sand Serpent, too, was considered an S-rank monster alongside the Water King and the Sea King. Even a Sword Master would struggle to defeat such creatures with just brute force.
Karyl had known the serpentâs weakness, which was the reverse scale, and targeted it perfectly. Beikan and Kinu didnât follow his orders without question just because he was their master.
Master always has a reason for what he does.
The results speak for themselves.
From the Rolling Hills to the Abyssal Rockâeverything Karyl had accomplished defied common sense.
âWeâre going in,â Karyl said in a low voice after making sure that Kinu and Beikan had the chains ready.
Swish... Swish...
The sound of the chains being dragged against the cobblestones echoed through the silent labyrinth.
***
âUgh...?!â
As soon as the door opened, Viola instantly covered her nose and held her breath. If the parts they had explored so far were relatively tidy, beyond this door lay a complete mess. This underground space, seemingly endless, was filled with shattered debris and a foul stench of blood.
âWhat on earth is this smell?â
âRotting corpses. This place is certainly different from what weâve encountered so far.â
âItâs awful. This must have been here for quite some time.â
Viola, who had only laid eyes on relatively fresh corpses, and that from recent events, was naturally appalled by the stench corpses that had been decomposing for a long time.
â...Is this what you consider awful?â
Beikan and Kinu were being nonchalant about this, which made Viola shake her head.
Squish...
As she walked, Viola stepped in something cold and wet, causing her to recoil.
âUgh...â
She couldnât see clearly through the pitch-black darkness, but it felt like she had stepped in a puddle.
âThere are no torches here. Greys, light the way with your mana.â
âYes, Princess.â
âWell, it might not be a good idea to use mana here.â
Karyl stopped Greys from casting the spell.
âWhy not? Is there a trap that reacts to mana, like with the statues?â
âNo, not exactly, but it wonât be a pleasant sight.â
Greys hesitated, which prompted Viola to speak up, feigning confidence.
âItâs too dark to see where weâre going. Iâve seen enough battlefields by now. I can handle it.â
With that, Greys focused mana into his palm once again.
âLight.â
Two spheres of light formed above his hand. As they floated, light quickly spread throughout the underground space.
â...â
But then, Viola froze up at the horrifying sight revealed by the light. She physically couldnât get any words out.
The walls were plastered with chunks of flesh and torn organs, while shattered bones lay scattered everywhere.
âUgh...!â
Moreover, she now saw that the puddle she had stepped in earlier was actually putrid, brown blood, causing her to retch.
âWhat in the world is this...?â
To make matters worse, it looked like the door to this underground tunnel couldnât be opened from the inside, which made escape impossible.
What on earth had happened inside here?
âBeyond this point lies the area where Minosâs monsters dwell. This is their feeding ground.â
âFeeding ground? No matter how I look at it...â
Viola glanced at the half-destroyed skull rolling on the floor.
âYeah... These are humans.â
âWhat the hell...â
Despite being royalty, Viola couldnât help cursing as she imagined those poor people being eaten alive by monsters.
âThey fed on humans? The master of this labyrinth is...â
âWell, humans kill other humans too. From a monsterâs perspective, dwarves, elves, and humans are all just prey.â
âBut... This is different, isnât it?â Greys retorted, knowing what Karyl was implying.
âWell, the empire seems more ruthless to me, slaughtering tens of thousands under the guise of eliminating heresy,â Beikan shot back.
âTh-Thatâs...â Greys was at a loss for words.
âDonât think the empireâs Extermination Decree of Heresy represents the will of all kingdoms!â Viola retorted, unable to contain her frustration. âThe Three Kingdoms of Istria have always coexisted with the southern barbarians. We donât hold any particular prejudice against you.â
âIf we thought like the emperor, we wouldâve refused to accept you the moment we found out the master of Tatur was with the southern barbarians.â
âWhat do you mean, refuse to accept us...?â Kinu growled.
âWe would have informed the empire,â Viola responded calmly, shrugging lightly at Kinuâs hostile reaction.
âBut you didnât.â
âOf course. Weâre not anyoneâs puppets, even though weâre a small country.
âI think the same. Otherwise, I wouldnât have left my troops at Twin Armor. Sir Marze and Sir Aben can distinguish between friends and foes.â
âHmm... The Fenria Kingdom thinks the same,â Viola replied with a somewhat sullen expression.
Thudâ! Crunch! Thudâ!
Following their tense exchange, Karyl led the way through the grotesque path of corpses, eventually arriving at their destination, blocked by iron bars.
âSir Greys, I cannot forgive the empireâs crimes, but I understand where youâre coming from.â
Finishing his sentence, Karyl turned his palms upward and extended his arms toward Beikan and Kinu.
Clang! Clang!
The two of them unhooked the chains from their shoulders and handed the ends to Karyl.
âIâve seen countless corpses, but this scene is nauseating even to me.â
Clutching the thick chains tightly, Karyl walked forward.
âGrrrrr...!â
Low growls resounded from behind the iron bars.
âThese corpses are unidentifiable. Some of the remains could very well be from the old empire two hundred and fifty years ago, or even from the Magical Era a thousand years ago. Nobody has managed to conquer this ancient dungeon.â
The wyvernâs red eyes focused on Karyl.
âAlthough these monsters are formidable, we canât just let it be, and not because of some grand sense of duty.â
The two monsters bared their sharp fangs, wary of Karyl approaching them with chains like a tamer.
Locking eyes with them, Karyl prompted, âSo first, letâs put a leash on these damn things to keep their mouths shut.â