Thud!
Jeong Yusin stepped out of the red portal and placed his foot on the ground.
Immediately, the coarse air filled his helmet.
He looked up.
A hazy, yellowish sky stretched above. Particles of red and yellow danced in the air, as if a sandstorm were approaching.
Why would there be a sky in the Labyrinth?
There was no answer in the books he had read with Mion. The texts dealing with the Labyrinth’s origins were all cut out, leaving behind only descriptions of phenomena with no explanation of their principles. Most of the content detailed experiences gained through direct encounters, rather than understanding the mechanisms behind them.
While attending Mion’s lessons, Jeong Yusin hadn’t outwardly shown any concern, yet he could faintly smell the scent of blood. How many had fallen before the mysteries of the Labyrinth?
Because of that, they had succeeded in discovering the “rule” governing the forest zone of the Labyrinth: suffering.
The rule of “Darkness” from the 1st to 5th floor drives individuals mad if they find themselves in places without light. The rule of “Suffering” on the 6th floor forest zone drives people mad through the pain of wounds or illness. The lower one’s resistance to suffering, the more likely they are to experience hallucinations and delusions before succumbing to insanity and death. Death through poison or disease leading to insanity—it was truly despicable.
Jeong Yusin lowered his head and looked around. All he could see were tangled vines, coniferous and deciduous trees. Various plants packed together cast dark shadows.
It was strange. Despite the dense forest, no sound at all could be heard.
Thud!
As Jeong Yusin was observing his surroundings, his party members emerged from the red portal.
“Scath.”
Iron Mask called out to Jeong Yusin.
“No problem.”
Jeong Yusin replied.
“The Light… We probably shouldn’t extinguish it, huh?”
“That’s right. It’s too dark.”
“An open sky and a forest. This area really is as strange as we’ve heard.”
The Dwarf Priest, Kubo, looked around and whistled.
“…”
The rat Sealing Mark, Mars, furrowed his brow with a serious expression and silently studied the new map without uttering a word.
“Mars, is something wrong?”
Jeong Yusin asked.
“···It’s difficult to determine where exactly we are. This is my first time in the forest zone.”
“Let’s proceed cautiously then.”
Under Iron Mask’s directive, the party members moved forward through the forest. Fortunately, there was a path winding between the trees, so they didn’t need to trample through the underbrush.
They walked in silence. The party members were tense and didn’t exchange a single word. The quiet forest made them even more cautious.
For hours, they silently navigated through the forest path.
“Hey! Over there.”
After walking for a while, the rat Sealing Mark, Mars, raised his hand and pointed toward something.
Through the bushes, the tip of a small watchtower could be seen. It appeared to be crumbling, either due to the long years or because of the unknown forces of the Labyrinth.
“What should we do?”
The rat Sealing Mark approached the party and whispered.
“We should check it out. By the way, Mars, any idea where we are?”
“My guess is that this is the Mirkwood area. It’s on the outskirts of the forest zone. We seem to be having bad luck this time.”
After hearing Mars’ explanation, Iron Mask pulled out a few pieces of parchment from his cloak.
Curious, Jeong Yusin approached Iron Mask.
“What are those papers?”
“Request lists. I brought them just in case.”
“Did you take all of them?”
“No. I just wrote them down. How would we know which region we’d end up in and take on so many requests?”
“That’s reasonable enough.”
Jeong Yusin nodded as Mars leaned in.
“Iron Mask, does that even matter right now? Are we going to the watchtower?”
“We need to go. We can’t leave potential dangers behind as we move forward.”
“Alright. Phew.”
Mars took a deep breath and crouched low before disappearing into the bushes.
Swish.
Jeong Yusin gripped his sword and shield tightly as he listened to the soft rustling of the leaves. If anything happened, he was ready to rush in immediately.
How much time had passed?
The forest grew darker and darker.
The only intermittent sounds were the shallow breaths of the party members.
Each second felt like an eternity.
Swish.
Mars’ face suddenly poked out of the bushes.
“No one is there. It’s completely empty.”
“Hmm?”
“However…”
Mars scratched his head.
“There’s something unsettling inside the watchtower. There’s a sign of some sort, but it’s too dark to see it clearly.”
“I see. Let’s take a look and then rest there for a moment.”
Agreeing with Iron Mask’s statement, everyone nodded.
With Mars leading the way and Jeong Yusin following, they made their way through the dense undergrowth until they reached a weedy clearing and the remains of the watchtower.
The watchtower was much older than they had initially thought. Cracked and toppled stone walls were completely covered in green moss. The entrance boasted a wooden door so rotten it hung limply.
“…”
The party members cautiously approached the wooden door. Even though Mars had already scouted the area, the sight made everyone’s movements more cautious than before.
Jeong Yusin took a torch from Iron Mask and approached the entrance, opening the wooden door.
Creak.
Flare.
The torch illuminated the dark interior of the watchtower.
It was filled with nothing but thick layers of dust.
There was one thing.
In the center of the watchtower lay a strange leather tablet secured by branches…
“Everyone, turn away!!! Don’t look!!!”
The dwarf priest shouted loudly.
His voice was eerily filled with fear.
The party members quickly turned away, avoiding the leather tablet.
“…Priest Kubo, what exactly is that…”
Iron Mask asked.
“That… That is a curse written in blasphemous language. Simply looking at it or reading it can drive one to madness or possession!”
“Who…who does the possession refer to?”
At Jeong Yusin’s question, the dwarf priest’s lips trembled.
“I… I cannot say. It’s too horrifying to even speak of. Please understand.”
“Then, what should we do? Should we burn it?”
“No… No! Leave it alone. There’s surely a curse on this monstrosity. Do not touch it or read what’s written!”
The dwarf priest, Kubo, loudly warned them.
“Understood. Calm down.”
Jeong Yusin placed his hand on Kubo’s shoulder. After a fit of gasping, Kubo finally took a deep breath.
“Then we’ll rest outside the watchtower, as long as we don’t look at the strange writing on that leather tablet.”
“No!!!”
Kubo shouted suddenly.
Iron Mask stepped forward.
“Calm down. Mars already scouted the area. As long as we avoid that trap-like thing, the area is safe. Besides, haven’t we been walking for hours?”
The leader’s soothing tone calmed Kubo.
“Ugh… Understood. I got too worked up. Sorry.”
Jeong Yusin and the party members sat around the torch and rested.
Jeong Yusin stared at the dense forest.
Leaving the cave-like layers and arriving at a place with an open sky was confusing. Was it difficult to adapt? The appearance of the Labyrinth was completely different from what he had imagined.
Of course, he had read about it in books, but the impression gained through reading was different from witnessing it firsthand.
The other party members shared similar expressions.
“Perhaps it’s just uncomfortable not having a roof.”
The changed ‘rule’ in the forest zone was also concerning.
Thinking about the ‘rule’ of the forest zone, Jeong Yusin understood why Iron Mask had chosen the party members the way he had.
A priest with sturdy defenses who doesn’t get wounded easily—even though Jeong Yusin had never seen him wounded yet.
A rat with acute senses that moves well in the forest.
Iron Mask, with excellent character and leadership skills.
Jeong Yusin himself, who had a high threshold for suffering, strong mental fortitude, excellent combat skills, and intelligence.
‘Someone has a keen eye.’
Jeong Yusin silently nodded while looking at the party leader.
Iron Mask was studying a piece of parchment he had pulled from his cloak. The request lists, probably.
“Iron Mask, are we in an area where we can make some money?”
“If this is Mirkwood, there are some valuable herbs we can gather. With a bit of luck, we might even complete an upgrade request.”
“Do you plan to upgrade as well?”
“If I can, why wouldn’t I? We need to go deeper into the Labyrinth anyway. Especially to obtain the seals I need.”
Jeong Yusin nodded.
Whether positively or negatively, the ‘powerful’ seals are only obtainable by venturing deep into the Labyrinth.
He recalled the subtle remarks made by the guild master during novice explorer classes.
Jeong Yusin decided not to delve further, as he already had an idea why.
‘Do you wish to survive?’
Crawling into the death-ridden Labyrinth just to survive—it was an ironic paradox that wasn’t easy to laugh about.
Jeong Yusin and the party members rested for a while in front of the watchtower.
It would have been nice to stay longer, but the priest’s obvious unease prompted them to pack up.
“Mirkwood is the outskirts. We need to move carefully since the Transference Stone is far away.”
Mars said this without even looking at the map.
The party left the old watchtower and slowly ventured onward.
Kubo was visibly shaken by the disturbing sight at the watchtower and occasionally trembled.
Mars paused to point out something as they advanced through the dim forest.
“Wow! That’s a purple foxglove. This flower is quite valuable, right?”
“How much?”
Jeong Yusin asked.
“Let me check. …It’s 10 silver pieces per root.”
Iron Mask pulled out a piece of parchment and read it aloud before Mars could reply.
Jeong Yusin grabbed a small spade from his backpack and rushed toward the flower.
“Hmph. This is going to be great.”
“Be careful. It says the roots must not be damaged.”
Iron Mask offered advice from the sidelines.
“Trust me. I handle white rats with care every night… what?! How gently do you think I deal with them?”
“…Scath, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Calm down.”
“Got it.”
Jeong Yusin squatting down carefully dug around the foxglove.
Slowly. Gently.
After about ten minutes of effort, he successfully uprooted the entire plant.
He shook off the excess dirt from the roots and carefully placed it in a leather pouch before storing it in his backpack.
“Where to next?”
“…Let’s just keep going.”
Following Mars, they continued moving while collecting various plants.
There were mushrooms in blue used as catalysts for magical experiments, flowers in red and yellow blends for blood clotting, and even herbs that looked like common weeds but were essential ingredients for potions.
Jeong Yusin’s mouth stretched wide open.
‘So this is the honey farming ground that intermediate explorers have been monopolizing?’
Now, he understood why everyone was eager to upgrade. No matter how much talking beforehand, it didn’t compare to actually holding money in your hands.
Even Iron Mask’s tone had become more cheerful.
“…This is the Taltar flower. To see a garden flower here is unexpected…”
Jeong Yusin leaned in curiously.
“Whoa! How much is that worth?”
“It’s just decorative. Not particularly valuable.”
“…”
Jeong Yusin quickly looked away and glanced around.
Now he realized it. It had grown darker than before.
He had been so distracted by the money that he’d been walking with his eyes fixed on the ground.
“Hey Mars, are we heading the right way?”
Jeong Yusin asked.
“We are.”
Mars replied without looking back.
“…”
Jeong Yusin stared at Mars’ back.
Something was off.
Since a few hours earlier, the dwarf priest Kubo had been trembling continuously out of fear.
Mars, who had been unfamiliar upon arriving in the forest zone, was now navigating the woods effortlessly.
Even Iron Mask had sensed the oddity and tucked the request list back into his cloak.
“Mars, look behind you.”
Iron Mask urged.
“What’s up?”
“Let’s see your face.”
Mars turned around to face the party.
“What’s with you guys all of a sudden? You’re scary.”
Mars’ face looked no different from the first time they met. There seemed to be nothing strange or out of the ordinary other than a slightly lowered tone of voice.
‘Maybe I’m imagining things? Could it be overthinking after suddenly regaining awareness of the situation due to being distracted by money?’
Jeong Yusin relaxed his tensed body.
At that moment,
“You… who are you?!”
The dwarf priest Kubo stepped forward and shouted.
“PRIEST Kubo, what are you talking about? It’s me, Mars.”
“Not true. The ominous aura hasn’t dissipated since we left the watchtower. I wasn’t mistaken!”
Mars kept shaking his head.
“Huh… Iron Mask, Scath. Priest Kubo seems very tired. Let’s rest a bit, it’s not far to the next resting spot.”
Jeong Yusin stepped forward.
“No. Mars, let’s confirm. To be honest, your state does seem off.”
“…”
A silence fell over the quiet forest. No one spoke, and they all stared at Mars.
After a long silence, Mars finally spoke.
“…Caught me, huh?”
An eerily low voice echoed through the dark forest.
