The sensation of floating didn’t last long.
An oppressive darkness surrounded me like ink.
The hard ground pressed against my back.
And the peculiar dampness of a cave clung to my skin.
Thud!
As I landed on the ground and reached for my flint, a sound caught my attention.
“Gieeek?”
There was something right in front of me making a noise.
“Hobgoblin!”
Galerheim screamed in alarm.
“Is it human?”
Jeong Yusin inquired, asking merely out of precaution despite Galerheim’s identification.
“Keeeeeek!!!”
The hobgoblin emitted a shriek.
No…
Jeong Yusin immediately drew his Arming Sword and swung it toward the source of the sound.
Chaaarrrk!!!
“Kkueeeek!!!”
Blood splattered onto the helm first, followed by a scream.
Jeong Yusin quickly pulled out his flint from his pouch and struck it to light a fire.
Whooosh.
The fire illuminated the dark labyrinth.
The fallen hobgoblin’s neck bled profusely, soaking the cave floor.
Jeong Yusin, holding the torch, glanced around at the party members who were all gripping their weapons.
“To encounter a hobgoblin immediately after transportation—our luck isn’t great.”
Galerheim muttered, his complexion pale.
Is that some sort of explorer’s superstition?
It’s not exactly a believable story. We’ve already run into more than our fair share of such encounters.
“Stop the useless chatter as soon as we’ve arrived.”
Jeong Yusin pulled a dagger from his robes and cut off the hobgoblin’s ear.
He placed the ear into a leather pouch taken from the backpack strapped to his waist.
“Remarkably fast. This isn’t something you’ve done just once or twice, is it?”
The elven priest Fiyaron marveled.
“Your words do me too much honor.”
Jeong Yusin stood up and continued, “So, where exactly are we?”
“Give me a moment.”
The nose-horned Nuum, Galerheim, pulled out a map from his robes and examined it.
Karin had already discerned their location after a quick glance, but Galerheim seemed a bit hesitant.
After scratching his head, Galerheim spoke, “We’re way out on the outskirts, far from the central zone. It seems it will take considerable time to reach the next level.”
“Understood.”
Not bad. Since completing the mission will require some detouring anyway, I decided to think positively.
Jeong Yusin wiped the blood off his sword and slung it over his shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
Galerheim led the way. Jeong Yusin followed behind Galerheim, with the elven priest Fiyaron walking behind Jeong Yusin, and finally, the Holy Knight Soline bringing up the rear.
Galerheim. Jeong Yusin. Fiyaron. Soline.
They maintained a steady formation as they walked through the dark cave.
The party members were tense, moving in silence.
About two hours passed.
“Huh!”
Suddenly, Galerheim raised his crossbow, looking genuinely startled.
“What is it?”
“Enemies behind us!”
As Galerheim shouted, Soline immediately turned around and assumed a defensive stance.
Jeong Yusin gripped the strap of his shield and stepped forward.
They waited in formation.
Thump. Thump.
Footsteps were heard.
It wasn’t the sound of a monster.
Jeong Yusin grabbed Galerheim’s shoulder.
“Galerheim, please lower your crossbow for a moment.”
Jeong Yusin placed the elves and the Nuum behind him and lifted the torch high.
As they waited, the sound of footsteps began to fade.
“Don’t shoot.”
A voice emerged from the darkness.
It was a human voice.
Jeong Yusin remained on high alert.
A middle-aged human man approached slowly, holding a torch.
“Barbaroy?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm, so judging by your garb, it seems you’re newly promoted lower-grade explorers, correct?”
Jeong Yusin maintained eye contact with the middle-aged man in silence.
The man wore medium armor and had strapped a kite shield onto his back.
“Stop glaring so. We’re actually here to request passage, so we are asking for your leniency.”
The man explained.
“Understood. Go ahead.”
Jeong Yusin finished speaking and exchanged a glance with his teammates.
The party members silently nodded in agreement.
From the darkness, the man’s party members approached.
Judging by their shining gear, they appeared to be at least mid-level.
“Huh!”
Suddenly, the elven priest screamed.
The elf’s eyes were bulging as if they would pop out, staring at one of the middle-aged man’s party members.
Jeong Yusin clenched his sword.
What is it?
He quickly scanned the middle-aged man’s party.
A lizard centaur carrying a spear.
A deer centaur with a longbow on his back.
A bald human with a longsword slung over his shoulder.
And then…
An elderly human woman.
Her long white hair was tied back, and her full body was wrapped in a robe.
She had a gentle, kindly demeanor, suggesting she had aged gracefully.
Her poised bearing suggested she was not of common status.
She looked entirely out of place in the dark, gloomy labyrinth.
The elf, a lover of grandmas, approached the elderly woman in a daze.
“Uh… Excuse me…”
“Stay back.”
The leader stepped forward, shielding the elderly woman.
Jeong Yusin firmly held the elf’s arm.
“I’m sorry. My companion has a fondness for older individuals.”
The man tilted his head briefly before speaking.
“Yes, some people are like that. While I understand, I must insist that you do not approach.”
“Understood. I’ll keep this elf restrained, so please proceed.”
Jeong Yusin stepped aside to let the people pass, and he didn’t forget to tightly hold onto the entranced elf.
The man nodded once and turned to his companions.
“Let’s go.”
The man’s party quickly moved into the darkness of the cave.
The elderly woman followed her party with ease, perhaps because of her vitality or due to her lack of heavy gear.
What could be so urgent?
Though curious, Jeong Yusin had more pressing matters to handle.
After watching the people disappear into the darkness, Jeong Yusin turned his head.
“Fiyaron.”
“…Sorry, I think I lost it for a moment.”
‘It’s possible to pursue an elderly woman in the maze, you know.’
Although understandable, it was wrong not to ask for permission before approaching.
“Understood. Let’s move on.”
Jeong Yusin let the matter drop upon hearing the elf’s sincere regret.
“Phew, events like this happen occasionally, but it’s always so nerve-wracking.”
The Nuum sighed in relief.
“Let’s go.”
Jeong Yusin led the party through the dark cave.
Hours passed.
The breathing of the party began to grow heavy.
“Shall we rest a bit?”
Jeong Yusin asked.
“There’s a resting spot not far from here.”
Galerheim wiped the sweat from his forehead and responded.
“Understood.”
They continued for another hour until they reached the resting place.
They settled into a hollow on one side of the cave wall.
They retrieved a blanket to cover the rocky wall and unpacked their backpacks.
They placed the fire in the center and sat around it.
“Barbaroy, you have remarkable endurance.”
The Holy Knight Soline said, looking at Jeong Yusin.
Jeong Yusin took off his helmet and wiped his sweat-soaked hair.
“It’s nothing special. It’s just something I’ve gotten used to doing.”
“Even during the encounter with that other party earlier. You acted calmly without being flustered. We were all startled except for you.”
Soline’s words made Jeong Yusin tilt his head.
Hmm. Is that all?
After entering the labyrinth four or five times, acting like this felt natural.
Thinking about it, Jeong Yusin came to a conclusion.
People are different, after all.
“Perhaps the weight of the armor makes movement heavier.”
Jeong Yusin smirked and replied.
Soline laughed lightly, shaking her shoulders.
“Just as Senior Gilsian said. I’m glad to have acquired a good leader.”
Is that so?
Jeong Yusin nodded and took a sip from his water pouch.
*
An hour after resting, they left the resting place and continued into the dark.
After walking for several hours, they came across a cluster of hobgoblin corpses.
Jeong Yusin approached the bodies to examine them closely.
The wounds were perfectly clean, as if measured with a ruler.
A single strike that cut only the vital points without any extra effort.
It seemed like the party that had gone ahead had dealt with them.
The ears had not been taken.
Perhaps they didn’t need the petty rewards, or perhaps they were in a rush.
Considering they could take the ears without fighting, this could be called good fortune.
The partymates also seemed to feel the same way, pulling out daggers from their robes.
‘Looting free bodies, eh? Is this fortune smiling upon me?’
Jeong Yusin grinned as he pulled out his dagger.
Snip. Snip.
They gathered around and cut off hobgoblin ears calmly.
The scene reminded Jeong Yusin of a certain waste-level party, making him smile absent-mindedly.
“Barbaroy, why are you laughing?”
Galerheim looked slightly pale, unable to fathom where his laughter came from.
“Old friends just came to mind.”
Only then did Galerheim’s face relax.
“Is that so? Are they all doing well?”
Galerheim asked, and Jeong Yusin gave a wry smile.
‘They all went their separate ways. One perished by my hands.’
He only repeated the truth within himself.
“Yes.”
Jeong Yusin gave a short answer and finished cutting the ears.
He opened his pouch and stored all the hobgoblin ears.
Thanks to the inadvertent help of the party ahead, they managed to collect the ears from hobgoblin bodies without a fight.
Still, it seemed insufficient.
‘Perhaps the first floor doesn’t offer much.’
There was no sign of the Black Slime carrying Magic Stones.
He stuffed the pouch into his backpack and stood up.
“What do you think about heading to the second floor?”
“That’s fine.”
Galerheim readily agreed.
“Good.”
The priest Fiyaron and Holy Knight Soline also agreed.
They continued walking for a few more hours.
Jeong Yusin turned his head to check on the members of his party.
Exhaustion and perspiration marked their lengthy journey.
“Let’s camp on the first floor tonight.”
At Jeong Yusin’s words, the party members nodded.
‘We must also consider the distribution of stamina.’
Having organized his thoughts, Jeong Yusin asked Galerheim,
“Is there a place suitable for camping nearby?”
Galerheim unfolded his map and checked before answering,
“There’s a resting spot if we walk a little further.”
“Let’s go.”
They walked for about two hours and found the resting spot.
It was a hollow several times larger than the one they previously rested in.
Space enough for at least three parties.
There were no other people present.
It was, after all, the outer zone, separated from the central area, and since it was also the first floor, it was quite understandable.
Unpacking just like before, they finished preparations for camping.
They decided to conserve dry firewood and instead inserted torches into the center.
Jeong Yusin and the party comfortably sat in their places, each taking out dried rations and water from their backpacks to eat and drink.
The initial tension and awkwardness of entering the labyrinth had diminished considerably.
A sudden curiosity arose.
Jeong Yusin swallowed a piece of jerky and opened his mouth.
“Fiyaron, I have a question.”
“Speak your mind.”
“You are an elf, aren’t you? A long-lived one at that. How does the grandma affection mark activate? Considering the lifespan of elves, none of them are exactly young, are they?”
The elven priest Fiyaron smiled slyly and replied,
“Why do you ask? Are you curious?”
This unexpected question rattled Jeong Yusin’s thoughts. Why was he curious? It was certainly a taboo question.
“Upon reflection, I’m not that curious. Let’s consider this conversation null.”
“This mark senses the aging of the counterpart. Is that answer sufficient?”
Ah, that’s how it works.
Having dipped his foot in the darkness, Jeong Yusin decided to ask one more question.
“It seems a bit ambiguous. Does this mark have any specific criteria for defining aging?”
“The more wrinkles the other person has, the more droopy their skin is, the stronger my ‘area’ reacts.”
That area?
That area?
The elf nodded and once pointed his head towards his chest, then towards his lower body.
Uh…
Jeong Yusin hastily covered his mouth.
The elf continued,
“Though I’m 300 years old, my heart is still that of a twenty-year-old. As long as my heart is young, why should it matter if the other person is a bit older than me? The old woman earlier was the same. Really, how…”
“Let’s stop this.”
Jeong Yusin sternly spoke, casting a glare at the elf.
Galerheim chimed in,
“Barbaroy, why must you reject it so? I find it to be a respectable preference. At least, while someone is speaking, we shouldn’t interrupt, should we?”
Jeong Yusin leaned towards Galerheim while seated and extended his hand.
“Take off your mask.”
“Wh-whoa! Don’t do it!”
Galerheim shouted in surprise and stepped backward.
After a brief banter, they finished their meal and set the watch order.
Jeong Yusin was the third in line.
He wrapped himself in his robe and leaned against the wall.
Watching the solitary burning torch in the dark and damp hollow for a moment, he closed his eyes.
“Barbaroy.”
Someone called his name.
Opening his eyes, he saw Soline standing there.
“Barbaroy, to sleep comfortably like this in such a place.”
Soline said with a wry smile.
“Because it’s the first floor. Go and take a rest.”
Jeong Yusin replied and adjusted his sitting position.
Leaning against the wall had made his back and neck stiff.
Seeing Soline return to her spot, he looked at the torch for a little while.
Through the burning torch flame, he could see the blanket hung at the entrance.
Though it was supposed to block the light from leaking out, it felt like it was confining them.
Then,
Sha-rak.
The blanket fluttered slightly.
Jeong Yusin’s body froze rigidly.
A chill went down his spine.
There were no footsteps or breathing sounds yet the blanket fluttered.
This was beyond comprehension. Unknown fear clutched Jeong Yusin’s heart tightly.
He gripped his Arming Sword tightly and stared at the blanket.
“Knock, knock.”
A playful voice came from beyond the blanket.
