Chapter 219

The man who had been called ‘Dog Meat Man’ by the girl was now, without a doubt, dreaming.

It was a dream he clearly recognized as such, but one he never wanted to wake up from.

This was the dream of when he had decided to give up descending the labyrinth.

It was right before he said, ‘I will no longer descend the labyrinth.’

It was a dream that stretched on forever in that moment.

As if time had stopped, it gave him the chance to alter the future.

It was a dream where time froze so he could say, ‘Let’s continue advancing through the labyrinth together!’

It was the 43rd floor of the labyrinth, deep within a dense coniferous forest.

The weather was so stormy that it was hard to see ahead.

The rain poured down like there was a hole in the sky, but it hung suspended as if time itself had halted.

He saw his past self standing before his companions, about to speak with a serious expression.

If he entered this body as it was, it would likely be a dream structured to let time flow again.

It was a past he wanted to change.

After all, the comrades who left him behind on the 43rd floor and descended further never returned.

But the man still couldn’t bring himself to say, ‘Let’s continue advancing through the labyrinth together!’

Because he was afraid.

And yet, he lacked the courage to wake up from this dream.

It was a past he wanted to change.

He lacked both the courage to alter his past choices and the courage to affirm his choices and wake up from the dream.

Thus, it was a dream where he could do nothing but remain frozen in this halted time forever.

Even though it was a dream, even though he knew the terrible future that awaited, he couldn’t urge them to descend the labyrinth.

From the perspective of someone who had come to understand the labyrinth’s structure, choosing to descend further was impossible.

It was almost like a premonition.

The labyrinth bestowed superhuman powers upon those who broke through it.

With each level, it granted ever greater strength.

It fulfilled whatever the adventurer desired most—great power, striking appearance, magic and swordsmanship, powerful items.

All of these were things that would become permanently theirs as long as they kept venturing into the labyrinth.

But nothing came for free.

Humans who gained power became… abnormal.

Not just arrogance or superiority complexes.

No, something far worse.

Madmen.

An endless hatred for humanity and incomprehensible mental instability.

And once their instability reached a certain threshold, the labyrinth devoured them.

They never returned.

Yet most people, even knowing this, couldn’t stop descending.

Because “great power” was addictive.

He was the only one who stopped descending after passing the 30th floor.

What seemed like a simple, game-like progression through the labyrinth became clear upon reflection.

The labyrinth was transforming humans into something else.

And it was selecting those who could maintain their sanity amidst that transformation.

That’s why the man could go no further.

Because he was already losing himself.

He couldn’t remember what he used to do or who he was in Japan.

Ironically, the insight he gained from losing himself led him to this realization of the labyrinth’s true nature.

For a long time, he stood frozen in thought while the torrential rain, like heaven’s tears, remained motionless.

Though the dream was silent and time had stopped, the sound of the heavy rain pounding against trees and earth still lingered faintly in his ears.

Even years later, the sight of this coniferous forest was etched vividly in his mind, like a scar.

The man could do nothing but stand there, unable to make any choice.

***

The girl ascended to the school rooftop and looked down.

The fiery sunset painted the world in hues of twilight.

She truly loved the twilight of the Labyrinth City.

It was the only thing identical to Japan.

She cherished the twilight and the bustling sounds that marked the end of the day in the city.

Closing her eyes, she listened intently.

The raucous noise of students running around the playground.

The busy sounds of vehicles and people on the streets beyond the school.

She soaked in those peaceful sounds.

Even now, closing her eyes, she could almost hear the coarse crackling of meat being grilled over well-dried wood and the loud chatter of people drinking.

Somehow, Japan felt distant.

She couldn’t stay in this dreamlike illusion forever, despite how much she longed for this everyday life every night.

She didn’t want to erase all the connections she had made in the Labyrinth City.

And there was no cute black fairy here to protect her.

It was fun to return to school after so long.

So…

The girl bid farewell to the world.

Until we meet again for real, goodbye.

***

The Black Reaper was hopping around the Mini Reaper Garden.

In front of the frolicking mini reapers stood the Gray Reaper, wearing the kindest smile in the world as they watched the mini reapers play.

A loving mother feeding exhausted mini reapers tiny bites of pudding.

A mother who, instead of stealing their pudding while walking around, shared snacks with the children.

When the mini reapers brought pudding to share, the mother didn’t run away with it but shared it instead.

It was a truly happy Mini Reaper Garden.

After playing with the mini reapers and leaving the garden, the Black Reaper was greeted by the Attached Human working at Sehee Research Institute.

Om!

Sitting on the Attached Human’s palm, the Black Reaper happily munched on the pudding offered.

So happy!

He was happy because his mother had become unusually kind.

He was happy because the research institute regulations had changed to allow the Attached Human to work only one hour a day.

He could stay with the Attached Human forever!

But the peaceful sky above Sehee Research Institute tore apart, ending such a blissful moment.

Above the torn sky, a mischievous yellow eye stared down at the Black Reaper.

It was a nightmare.

Startled, the Black Reaper woke up from the dream.

***

You know the grudge of the Tyrannosaurus well!

Looking down at the labyrinth boss squished into the shape of a Tyrannosaurus, I let out a silent roar.

Only after smashing the labyrinth boss and regaining my senses did the searing pain begin to spread through my entire body.

The power emanating from the halo was mercilessly burning me alive.

Annoyed, I violently ripped the halo off my head and threw it to the ground.

The pain from using the halo never lessened no matter how many times I used it—it only hurt more.

Despite the pain, driven by the desire for vengeance against the Tyrannosaurus, I unconsciously summoned it atop my head.

Once I tossed the halo back into the sky, I turned my gaze to the chaotic scene where the Black Reapers were jumping around everywhere.

The Deviant Reaper watching over the sleeping girl transformed into a bed.

The victorious Black Reapers celebrating by leaping around joyfully.

And the Black Reapers sleeping peacefully with expressions of pure happiness.

For some reason, seeing the Black Reapers sleep with such content faces made me feel strange.

Like they were scolding me.

“Do you know why these guys are like this?”

When I asked why these kids kept sleeping, the Black Reapers were startled and rushed to the sleeping Black Reaper.

It seemed they had just realized the sleeping Black Reaper.

Golden Reapers and Black Reapers always seemed tough, so they were indifferent to their own injuries, unlike how they cared for Blue Reapers like newborns.

They shook shoulders, pinched cheeks, and stretched them out.

Various attempts were made to wake the sleeping Black Reapers, but they showed no signs of waking up.

Realizing it was beyond their ability, the Black Reapers gathered in front of me, each carrying a sleeping comrade.

“Big trouble!”

“Sleeping bell!”

Listening to the Black Reapers’ explanation, I understood the situation.

It means they’re having dreams like mine, about the Tyrannosaurus adventure.

The dreams are happy, but reality is harsh. Still, I have to wake them up.

Their blissful faces make me feel weird, but I’m not jealous or anything!

The solution was simple.

Use the Golden Tree’s power to enter their dreams, then shatter the dreams with Spatial Cut.

When I tried to use the Golden Tree’s power to enter the Black Reapers’ dreams, they startled awake before I could cut the space.

Why?

The awakened Black Reapers looked around, met my eyes, and frantically rubbed them as if they had seen something strange.

After rubbing their eyes vigorously, they looked at me again and shed a single tear.

What did the Black Reapers see in their dreams to react like that?

Just as I felt annoyed and was about to ask, the entire labyrinth began to shake.

Gurrrr…

An incongruous sound echoed through the second floor of the labyrinth, filled with white plains and upside-down trees.

It felt like ancient gears of stone and sand, neglected for eons, finally started turning again.

The scenery of the labyrinth, which had been flickering uncontrollably like a broken TV screen, transformed into a landscape of stone and sand.

Sandflakes were ascending into the sky, and jagged trees carved from stone were embedded in the ceiling.

The static and sturdy stone and sand gradually crumbled and began to flow.

Like a river of sand flowing under the desert sun, each grain whispered as it cascaded down.

The crumbling sand coalesced into grand pillars rising toward the heavens, creating an ocean of sand defying gravity that filled the sky.

When the endless upheaval of sand finally ceased, an expansive plain made entirely of sand stretched before us.

Charrlek…

The sand replacing the sky continued to crawl across the desert floor, hissing like snakes.

The land of sand and the sky of sand.

In the center of this peculiar desert, a rift in space revealed itself.

The fissure, as if inviting me, yawned open right before my nose.

***

An endless space composed of flowing sand.

An old man sat in a chair in this place, opening sand-filled eyes to gaze into the labyrinth.

His gaze, previously fixed on the Black Sword, shifted to the Gray Reaper clad in Black Armor.

When the Gray Reaper discarded the Black Armor, revealing its form, a flicker of surprise crossed the old man’s otherwise expressionless face.

[Gray Flesh.]

[Homunculus.]

[Modeled after the Last Alchemist.]

The old man opened his mouth as if to laugh.

But his body, turned to sand, couldn’t produce laughter.

Instead, his jaw crumbled and scattered.

[Ha ha ha…]

[Is that so? Have you succeeded?]

[The one who seemed least likely to succeed has done it.]

[Then I shall also take a gamble on this success.]

As the old man waved his staff, the labyrinth’s power began returning to him.

[I shall see if you are worthy to bear the nine crowns.]

Even as his own body dissolved into sand, the old man emitted a satisfied wave of magic.