Chapter 307
Grenoid had made all the Great Labyrinths through artificial means . However, this didn’t mean that the environment within the Great Labyrinths looked artificial . It seemed as though an entirely different world existed within the Great Labyrinths .
That was why when Sungyoon's party arrived in this tunnel, they found it out of the norm .
“Doesn’t it look like humans made this?”
Tim took a knee as he touched the surface of the floor . Unlike the bumpy and rough floor of a normal labyrinth, the floor here was smooth and made out of square-shaped rocks that perfectly fit .
It wasn’t just the floor . The ceiling and the walls were similarly made by stacking the square rocks . The tunnel was rectangular and was around three meters high and about two and a half meters wide .
Usually, tunnels in labyrinths varied in shape and size . In extreme cases, they didn't even have walls and ceilings . Therefore, this tunnel was out of place .
“It isn’t a certainty . It could be that Grenoid or its underlings created this place . Or its creators might be living organisms other than humans . In fact, the probability of it being built by some unknown life form seems more likely . After all, even the descendants of Planote were unaware of this place . It also could be an unknown phenomenon caused by magical energy . ”
Emily tried to see if there were any gaps between the rocks as she spoke .
Sungyoon and Grace also touched the walls and floor and observed their new surroundings .
Grace stood next to Sungyoon and spoke .
“What do you think, Mr . Sungyoon? Do you feel anything?”
“Yes . The feeling is very intense . ”
Sungyoon glared toward the other side of the tunnel . Magical energy fed him the visual information, but it seemed the location was too far . It was as if his vision was foggy .
Grace waved her hand through the air, then she held a finger up as if she were gauging the speed of the wind .
“We’ll have to be careful . Something is wrong with the flow of magical energy . ”
Sungyooon also raised his finger in the air .
“You're right . Mana Stream is ever-present in the Great Labyrinth, but the one here is unusually intense . ”
The magical energy within a normal labyrinth felt like a breeze; the magical energy within a Great Labyrinth felt like a storm; however, the magical energy that they felt right now was like a typhoon .
It felt like a super typhoon .
‘At the very least, a Connector has to be able to use a Platinum Gem to survive this . If not, their body would be ripped apart . ’
“Since this proves that this place is special, let’s advance slowly . ”
When Sungyoon spoke, his comrades gathered around him . They once again got into their formation as they walked ahead .
“Thankfully, we aren’t in an open space and the chances of being ambushed is lower . It's a comforting thought . ”
“Don’t let your guard down in a labyrinth, dummy . Who knows if a monster might burst through the wall to attack us . This place is still a mystery . ”
Emily berated Tim .
Their bickering might attract a monster toward them in this enigmatic location, but the steel boots worn by Tim and Sungyoon were already causing a lot of sounds . Therefore, Sungyoon wasn’t bothered by the two of them bickering with each other .
“We have a guest . ”
Tim was flustered by Emily’s colorful words of criticism, but his face instantly hardened when he heard the sound . He raised his shield .
Clank! Clank!
The being didn’t plan on hiding its presence . It boldly let its footsteps ring out as it approached Sungyoon’s party . It was clad in a black helmet and black armor; its sword was black too .
The black color all around it gave it an ominous feeling .
“Is he a… Connector?”
“Idiot . Look at its eyes . ”
Emily pointed at the black helmet with her mace, and Tim looked at its eyes .
“They are red . It's a monster . ”
“It's a Living Armor . ”
“Is it another high rank monster?”
Tim’s face distorted . However, he immediately shook his head from side to side .
“It should be on the same level as the Titan . It’ll be tough, but I believe we’ll win . ”
“No . This might be more difficult than expected . ”
Sungyoon moved up close behind Tim .
“The tunnel is small . We are limited on how we can attack it . We can’t use our normal strategy where I attack from the rear while you keep the monster occupied . Even if I try to go around it, there is a high probability that the monster would stop me from doing so . ”
“Mmm!”
Tim let out a groan .
“Also, I’ll be limited in my attacks . I can't use my flames, lightning, or winds in this small space . If I’m not careful, you might get swept up in the attack, Mr . Tim . ”
“Mmmmmmmm!”
Tim’s groan became louder when Grace spoke .
“Let’s just fight it! We can figure things out as it goes!”
Tim was a simple man . It was a plan befitting his personality . He clashed his ax and shield together as if he were trying to hype himself up .
“Well, we can’t retreat even before engaging it . ”
Sungyoon took out his ax .
His hammer created an explosion on impact, so if he used the hammer, it might implicate his party members . The halberd and the sword were too long to effectively swing in this small tunnel .
‘If I can just post up behind Mr . Tim, I could use the sword or halberd for stabbing . ’
Although he thought this, when it came to attacking strong monsters, Sungyoon preferred to attack from the monster's rear . Therefore, he needed to use his shortest weapon .
“It's coming!”
Tim yelled . The Living Armor held its sword as it charged forward .
‘Fast!’
At a glance, the armor looked heavy, yet it moved like the wind . It swung its sword in a large arc .
Kwahhhhhng!
An explosive sound rang out when the sword clashed against Tim’s shield . Since they were in an enclosed space, the sound was very loud . Everyone almost put their hands up to their ears on instinct . The ears of Connectors were much more sensitive than the ears of normal people, so the loud sound bothered them more .
Taht!
Sungyoon moved . He kept low to the ground as he walked past Tim’s large body .
Then, he swung his ax from the side of the Living Armor .
Koo-oong!
‘Tsk!’
Sungyoon clicked his tongue .
The Living Armor had been holding its sword in its right hand . Since it was in a contest of strength with Tim’s shield, its right side had been exposed . Sungyoon had used that opportunity to attack from the right, but the Living Armor was exquisite in its use of the sword . It had slightly adjusted its sword to block Sungyoon’s ax .
Sungyoon tried to use brute force to push back the Living Armor . He put strength into his legs . His attack had been blocked, but his initial plan was to move past the Living Armor . He wanted to position himself in its rear .
Hoo-oong!
However, the Living Armor moved its foot .
“Koohk!”
Sungyoon desperately hit the brakes . He almost rolled on the ground as he moved back behind Tim .
Koo-ooh-oong!
The Living Armor had brought its foot down on the spot where Sungyoon had been trying to rush past it . A frightening sound rang out within the labyrinth .
“As expected, this won’t be easy . ”
“Our numerical advantage is nullified in such a small terrain . ”
Emily responded to Sungyoon’s lamentation .
Sungyoon tried several more times to move to the rear of the Living Armor, but it blocked him each time .
“I guess we have no choice but to do this . ”
In the end, Sungyoon changed his weapon to the long halberd, and a drawn-out battle took place . The Living Armor’s defense was too high . It blocking the narrow tunnel was akin to a large and sturdy wall blocking their path .
The battle continued for a long time .
In the end, Sungyoon’s party barely defeated the Living Armor, and the battle exhausted them .
“This was tougher than I thought . ”
Tim, who had the highest defense here, let out a sigh . He planted his shield on the ground and leaned against it . The others were in a similar state . However, they soon had to wield their weapons once again as their faces crumpled .
Another monster was coming toward them in the distance .
“… What's that?”
Emily peeked as she hid behind Tim .
No one had an answer to her question .
“I’ve never seen that monster before . ”
Sungyoon had memorized the entire Monster Guide, which contained the information of all the confirmed monsters . Yet, he didn't recognize this monster .
It meant bad news . Fighting an unknown foe was always very dangerous .
Tim lifted his shield and spoke .
“Shall I test out its strength?”
“Wait a moment . It's an unknown monster of the Great Labyrinth . We can’t recklessly attack—”
Sungyoon was trying to discourage Tim from acting when the monster had attacked . Tim saw its actions, so he defended against the attack . No, he tried to defend against it .
Kwhahhhhhng!
“Koo-ahhhhhhhk!”
Tim’s entire body flew into the air . The fierce impact of the attack had sent both him and his shield flying through the air .
The surprised Sungyoon caught Tim .
“Koo-oooooohk!”
The unknown monster didn’t slow down at all . It kept pushing back Tim and Sungyoon . Sungyoon could barely stay on his feet as he tried to slow down the unknown monster .
“Ooh-ahhhhhhk!”
Tim squeezed all the strength in his body as he lifted his shield . He managed to deflect the monster’s attack at an angle, and the attack hit the tunnel’s ceiling .
Kwahhhhng!
An explosive sound and a shockwave rang out . Tim and Sungyoon became the leaves swept up in a storm as they had been sent flying .
“Mr . Sungyoon! Tim!”
“Mr . Sungyoon! Mr . Tim!”
Emily and Grace ran toward the two men . Sungyoon and Tim quickly got up . Their bodies ached, but they hadn’t suffered any serious injuries .
Everyone’s gaze headed toward Tim’s shield . Numerous cracks had appeared on the sturdy shield .
“It did this with just a single blow?”
Tim yelled out in dismay . Everyone was shocked as well .
Without showing any hesitation, Sungyoon immediately injected his magical energy into the Royal Gem, and a portal appeared behind them .
“Run!”
They didn't even have time to respond to his words . The party desperately jumped through the portal, and Sungyoon closed the portal as soon as he passed through it .
Hoo-oong!
The monster’s attack missed by a whisker, and another explosive sound rang out within the tunnel .
***
“Huhk! Huhk! Huhk!”
After exiting the portal, Sungyoon took deep breaths on the floor . His body didn’t need oxygen, but he injected oxygen into his lungs to calm himself .
‘Where are the others?’
Sungyoon raised his gaze . Thankfully, all his party members were near him . They were in a state of shock like him, but they looked unharmed .
“What the hell! What happened?”
Someone approached Sungyoon .
Russell's eyes became wide from surprise as he looked over Sungyoon’s party . He was the first one to arrive, and following his lead, more and more people started gathering around Sungyoon’s party .
“Son-in-law Woo!”
Plu-El quickly helped Sungyoon stand up and kept him steady . Russell did the same with Grace, and the other Connectors extended helping hands to Tim and Emily . Sungyoon and his party members all let out a sigh of relief .
“For now…”
Sungyoon sounded strained as he spoke to Plu-El .
“Can you give me a cup of water, Mother-in-law?”
***
The party had returned to the holy city, which they were using as a base . The Mayor had been waiting for the Connectors to bring him the news .
After regaining his composure, Sungyoon slowly unpacked his experience in the Great Labyrinth .
“You went down to the 30th floor?”
Bruce's voice contained shock .
“You went very far . Our party stopped on the 27th floor . That was our limit . ”
Sungyoon was surprised .
He had the portal in his back pocket, so his party hadn't paid attention to the pre-decided date of their return . They had just pushed forward in a reckless manner . Unlike them, Bruce’s party moved with their return date in mind .
The plan was for everyone to return before thirty days . Therefore, compared to Sungyoon’s party, Bruce’s party was more limited in what they could do . Despite that limitation, they had only fallen short of Sungyoon’s party by three floors .
It once again reinforced Bruce's strength .
“Did you find anything?”
Russell asked the question . Sungyoon looked at everyone as he spoke .
“Yes . I don’t know for sure, but we found a suspicious location . ”
Everyone let out a cheer