Chapter 212

Lying on the soft, fluffy carpet of the isolation room floor and staring at the ceiling, I saw puddings flying through the sky surrounded by bubbles.

The bubbles encircling the round pudding reflected the scene of the isolation room in vibrant patterns, showing a distorted view.

I could see the bed, the pudding factory, and myself lying on the floor.

Warm air and a cozy bed.

And the Golden Reaper happily working at the pudding factory.

The isolation room was as peaceful and tranquil as always, but I lay there on the floor with a gloomy expression.

How could I have failed at teasing the Mini Reaper, one of the joys of my life?!

As I lay there looking sad, the Red Reaper came over and gave me a gift: a White Hungry Ghost that had been meticulously roasted all over until it turned black.

“Sniff sniff.”

The White Hungry Ghost, now completely devoid of its white parts, cried out mournfully.

The Red Reaper who gifted me the roasted ghost beamed with joy, radiating an encouraging vibe for me to eat it and cheer up.

“Mmmph.”

Taking a bite-sized piece of the blackened ghost and chewing it, I thought about the ability I gained from dealing with the Yellow Moon.

It wasn’t particularly useful, so I hadn’t given it much thought, but I decided to test it out this time.

Experimentally using the ability, the Red Reaper beside me gasped in surprise with wide eyes.

“Red Mama!”

Her shocked expression gradually turned into pure delight as she happily bounced around.

The new ability I obtained from handling the Yellow Moon allowed me to change skin color.

A purely cosmetic ability like the Yellow Reaper’s doll outfit—free of Mental Pollution or skill replication.

Though not practical, I figured the Mini Reapers might enjoy it.

But the Red Reaper reacted far more intensely than I expected.

She tugged at my pinky finger like an excited puppy wanting to go for a walk.

She seemed eager to show off in the courtyard filled with other Mini Reapers.

“Mommy’s the same color as me!”

Pretending to give in reluctantly, I slowly stood up and placed the Red Reaper atop my head.

Tub-tub.

Following her cheerful lead, I slowly walked toward the courtyard.

***

The eerie labyrinth where green torches flickered.

At the center of this labyrinth, a girl squatted before a campfire reduced to ashes, waiting for someone.

“Ahh, where could the Uncles have gone?”

When the girl woke up, the campsite was deserted.

Though slightly uneasy, she wasn’t overly worried since the campsite was still full of items left behind by the Uncles.

There was no way they’d abandon so many things, so she believed they’d return eventually.

Thus, she decided to wait by the still warm pile of ashes while stroking the Black Sword.

But the Uncles never came back.

The girl slowly stroked the Black Sword’s blade and lifted it to eye level.

Then, as if having a conversation by making eye contact, she asked the sword.

“What should we do? The Uncles aren’t coming back. Should we leave the campsite and proceed through the labyrinth alone?”

Peeep!

The Black Sword responded with a high-pitched, lively sound, agreeing.

Looking at the sword as if it were answering, she continued their conversation.

“Should we go first? Is it okay to leave the campsite? Someone might steal our stuff.”

Peeep!

Once again, the Black Sword replied with a high-pitched, energetic sound.

For some reason, the sound seemed like it was telling her to abandon the campsite and set off.

“Hmm… Let’s wait a little longer.”

Deciding to wait a bit more for the Uncles, she spent her time gently stroking the beautifully patterned blade.

Peeep.

The sword emitted a relaxed hum, as if enjoying the attention.

The Black Sword’s blade felt soft and delightful to stroke, never getting old.

Plus, the sword reciprocated with a very enthusiastic response, so the girl made an effort to pet it as often as possible.

While stroking the blade, she carefully examined it, treating it like a cherished treasure.

There was a reason for this.

When she woke up in the morning, the pommel of the sword was inexplicably dyed white.

It was clearly supposed to be yellow!

Although the color of the pommel wasn’t particularly important to the girl, seeing the white pommel made her feel like the Black Sword was somehow sad, which worried her.

“It’s almost yellow again. Don’t you prefer yellow over white?”

Pip!

After enthusiastically petting the sword to comfort it, the pommel had noticeably returned to a more yellow hue.

As she kept stroking the Black Sword, the green-burning torch suddenly changed.

“!”

The ominous green flames began burning red again, just like before.

Thinking perhaps it was a sign, she looked up at the ceiling and noticed familiar patterns of numbers.

Quickly flipping open her map book and comparing the numbers, she jumped to her feet and shouted.

“They’re back! We can go home now!”

Peeep!

Hearing her joyful exclamation, the Black Sword chimed in with a happy sound.

***

The middle-aged man whom the girl called “Dog Meat Man” wiped his bloodied hands on a rag while gazing at the sky.

Every day of the year, the Labyrinth City’s sky remained perfectly clear.

“Same old fake sky today.”

Lowering his gaze from the sky to the ground, he saw two bloodied men groaning in pain on the gravel patch.

“Haaah. How could anyone scam such a naive kid?”

Crouching down to meet their gazes, he sighed deeply.

But the two men could only moan in agony, unable to respond properly.

Of course, the man asking the question didn’t seem to expect an answer anyway, as he shook off his hands and stood up.

“You already found and dealt with those guys? Adventurer from deep within the labyrinth, huh? Impressive speed.”

A woman in an apron approached him as he slowly stood, speaking casually.

She was the vendor who informed him that the girl seemed scammed.

The girl usually bought snacks cheerfully before entering the labyrinth, but today she merely browsed the stand before going in, which seemed odd.

Upon investigation, she discovered a gang selling fake swords and glue at inflated prices to children, then reported it to Dog Meat Man.

“Still, how do I return this money to the kid? No easy solution here.”

With a thoughtful expression, he tossed the heavy coin pouch in the air repeatedly.

While pondering lightly, he heard whispers he couldn’t quite catch.

“Emergency! Emergency! An anomaly in the labyrinth! Green torches appeared!”

News that the girl who entered the labyrinth just hours ago was in danger.

***

“Hmm. This is strange.”

The girl alternated between checking the ceiling and consulting her mapbook, deep in thought.

“Everything matches, yet…”

Each time, she carefully confirmed the plaques on the ceiling with her mapbook, successfully reaching the final chamber, but something unusual caught her attention at the last exit.

The current room’s plaque matched the one labeled ‘Exit’ in the mapbook.

However, the room she arrived at differed significantly from what was described.

Instead of the exit torch, there was a roughly carved stone door.

“Uncle said I mustn’t open doors like this… But he also said to trust the map…”

The girl looked uncertain.

“Is this the correct path?”

Holding up the Black Sword and asking it, she received a simple reply.

A bright, light-pitched “Pip!”

“Alright, let’s go in!”

Strengthening her resolve, she slowly pushed the stone door open.

Greeeak.

As the grinding sound echoed, the door fully opened, and she found herself inside the next room.

Simultaneously, the stone door vanished.

Though one might feel trapped, the girl was captivated by the mysterious atmosphere of the room.

The space was immeasurably larger than any other labyrinth chamber.

It appeared as though polished purple gems were used to create mirror-like walls, floor, and ceiling.

At the far end of the room stood a glossy purple doll.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

Shining with excitement, she glanced around when something odd struck her.

“The doll moved closer, didn’t it?”

Additionally, the doll’s glossy surface was cracked with numerous fissures.

Despite sensing something amiss, she began examining the room corner by corner.

“No plaques… Can’t figure out where I am…”

Checking the mapbook revealed no mention of such a room.

Pip!

Suddenly startled by the loud noise from her sword, she looked up to see the purple doll had crossed half the room toward her, cracks widening across its surface.

No longer mistakable—it was approaching.

Seeing the advancing doll, panic surged as she raised the Black Sword and asked in a trembling voice.

“Eh, what should I do? Is it a monster?”

Pip!

The sword responded affirmatively with a bright, high-pitched sound.

An oppressive silence filled the space, swallowing echoes.

The unsettling structure of the room, reflecting in all directions like a mirror.

The ghostly approach of the doll.

Pale with fear, she took a slow breath.

In the blink of an eye, the purple doll appeared right before her nose.

Its cracks had fully opened, revealing grotesque eyeballs writhing within.