One week.
That was it time it took them to breakthrough Poison Bog.
Not all problems were solved by lifting the fog.
Although they were weaker than in other areas, monsters also existed in this place.
It took them longer to move forward as they dealt with the monsters.
“That cave,” Jin-woo pointed, “is the entrance.”
It was an ordinary-looking cave, no different from others.
But no one doubted him.
For a week, they hadn’t been lost in the swamp thanks to the ring’s navigation.
It took three months for the huge team of the Noblesse Guild to break through the Green Dragon’s Forest… but we broke through in just a week, Jin-woo thought.
It would not have been possible without the ring.
[Hmm, the flow of the energy inside seems distorted.]
What does that mean?
[As soon as you enter the cave, you are likely to fall into a labyrinth. Prepare yourselves for changing terrains.]
The swordsman warned him.
[It won’t be easy.]
Jin-woo looked around his colleagues.
“Let’s go,” he said, then stepped into the cave.
Beyond the entrance, there was no light coming in.
“It’s normal,” Kim Dae-sung said.
Darkness was not unusual for caves.
[Be careful.]
Before he could ask the swordsman, Jin-woo suddenly felt the cave vibrate.
Coroorung-!
“Earthquake?!” a surprised Han Ji-joon shouted.
“Stick to me!” Jin-woo yelled, and his colleagues went close.
Soon, the walls and the ceiling split.
Like a cube, the four sides of the cave switched places, moving up and down.
“We almost got caught…”
“Um… It’s the first time I saw something like this,” Han Ji-joon had a cold sweat, despite having a vast experience in dungeons.
Thank you, Master.
[Before the labyrinth switches, the flow of energy changes. Focus your mind and let it feel it.]
Yes.
Jin-woo focused his mind.
Then, he felt the flow of the air around him.
Left, he thought.
The energy on the left feels slightly distorted.
At that moment, the ground rose and went up to the ceiling.
Right.
This time, the wall on the right collapsed.
Top.
“Fall back!” Jin-woo yelled out, and his colleagues immediately jumped backward.
Immediately afterward, the ceiling descended and crashed where they had been standing.
If they were late for a second, it would have been dangerous.
Afterward, Jin-woo was able to confidently follow the changes in the energy and respond safely to the changes in the terrain.
The swordsman was amazed as he watched his apprentice’s figure.
Humans in this world know the existence of Ki, but they cannot perceive it.
However, Jin-woo was accurately detecting it after just hearing his advice.
[It’s funny.]
What is?
[Nothing, focus!]
“Jump to the left!” Jin-woo yelled, just before the ceiling above their heads crashed.
* * *
After about 10 minutes, the terrain stopped changing.
The first stage is over.
“I can’t believe we made past that,” Han Ji-joon said, looking back at the cave that continued to move.
“What’s our current location?” Kim Dae-sung asked.
“Open the map!” Jin-woo showed them their location, marked with a green dot.
“I think we’ve already reached the center of the labyrinth,” he explained.
“Wow… in just ten minutes.”
“If there was no map, we would have been in trouble,” Han Yu-ra said.
“The Noblesse Guild got disconnected after it passed through the Green Dragon’s Forest and reached the labyrinth,” she continued.
Jin-woo nodded.
“Yes. There are four entrances to the labyrinth, one in each section. The Green Dragon’s Forest also had an entrance, and electronic devices must have stopped working after they entered.”
“Uh, that’s right. The drone is not working anymore,” Kim Dae-sung confirmed.
“Well… their radios wouldn’t even work.”
“The main team would have already arrived by the labyrinth. Can you confirm their position using the ring?”
Jin-woo reached out and zoomed in on the labyrinth area.
Then, they saw several blue dots that are separated but seemed to be surrounding one point.
“Who could be acting as a central point?” Han Ji-joon asked.
“It would surely be the master,” Han Yu-ra answered.
“Mr. Park Tae-sung?”
“Yes, only Master can cope with such an unexpected situation and control the number of people at once.”
“That’s right.”
[They have great faith in that child named Park Tae-sung.]
I know, right?
Park Tae-sung was a legendary figure.
First rare item holder; hero item holder.
First, who broke through various dungeons.
In particular, his achievements made the Taewang Guild a globally-respected guild.
“Huh?” Kim Dae-sung noticed something.
“They are moving,” he pointed to the map.
Seven blue dots separated from the main team.
Jin-woo’s face hardened when he saw where they were going.
* * *
“Captain, is this the right path?” a member asked Hao-jun.
“How do I know that?! It’s my first time here, too!”
The man fell silent at Hao-jun’s raised voice.
Damn it, Hao-jun thought.
At first, it was easy.
Simply follow the trail of the Noblesse Guild.
The Noblesse Guild’s support team had their route, so tracking was not difficult.
After exiting the Green Dragon’s Forest, they reached the point where the Noblesse Guild lost contact.
The traces they left were confusing. Some moved the other way; some moved straight onwards.
Their problems started then.
As if it was not hard enough, a fog appeared, and they watched their colleagues disappear in it one by one.
Eventually, they lost sight of Master Park Tae-sung.
There was no way to communicate. Their devices stopped working.
“Will the master be okay?”
“Of course. Master is a monster.”
“Yes, he’s been through worse.”
The members talked about Park Tae-sung’s achievements.
Hao-jun didn’t like it.
I’d rather have Park Tae-sung die here, he thought.
Then, the Taewang Guild will naturally come into the hands of the Chinese.
It was the best scenario.
But first, we have to get out of here.
Hao-jun raised his hand as they came across a huge statue.
The people who followed him stopped walking in unison.
“That’s… … What?”
“When did that happen?”
“It looks old.”
The statue has a bull’s head on a human torso. It was standing on two bull’s legs.
Its muscular human arms carried a huge ax.
“Is it for decoration?”
Suddenly,
Courung-!
The stone statue shook.
And its red eyes glowed.
“Damn it! Ready for battle!”
At Hao-jun’s cry, the players pulled out their weapons all at once.
Hao-jun also pulled out a shield engraved with a red dragon.
“Koo-oh-oh!”
The stone statue roared mightily.
“Check the level.”
“Yes… Search!”
A player with the Search ability used his skill.
“What does it say?”
“Madness… The Minotaur of Madness…”
“What is the level?”
“It is… 382!”
Hao-jun’s face hardened.
Monsters were categorized as general monsters or named ones.
General monsters were not that strong, even at high levels.
A player of the same level can catch it alone.
However, named monsters have superior stamina, attack, and defense compared to general monsters.
It is common knowledge that named monsters can only be caught by 10 players that matched their level.
Over 380… Hao-jun’s eyes quickly glanced over the players behind him.
There were 7 players, including him.
No one was over 380.
Thud-!
The Minotaur of Madness moved.
Damn it.
It was the worst-case scenario.
* * *
Yu-ra looked worried after hearing Jin-woo’s explanation.
“What should we do?”
There is now a huge black dot in front of the seven blue dots on the map.
Smaller black dots appeared in front of the other blue dots.
Jin-woo touched the huge black dot to confirm the information.
[The Minotaur of Madness]
[Level: 380]
The guardian deities who guarded the labyrinth awakened.
Damn it… that’s why I chose to come through the Poison Bog.
The safest entrance to the labyrinth was the one in Poison Bog.
Jin-woo reached out and zoomed out the map to view the overall appearance of the team.
The units are separated all over.
If they were in one place, it would have been easier.
No matter how fast he could get there, there are limits.
He could only use the Red Moon once.
Some of the members would die.
Some would live.
And it was all in Jin-woo’s hands to choose which team survives.
[You can save everyone.]
How?
[I will teach you the second phase of the Red Moon method.]
A second phase?
[Yeah, I don’t know if you can do it, but in this situation, the second phase would work better than the first phase.]
Jin-woo didn’t know what the second phase meant, or how it is different.
But right now, it didn’t matter.
The only thing he needs to do is to save those people.
Teach me, Master.
[Good.]
* * *
The blue dots on the map were disappearing one by one.
It wasn’t hard to figure out what that meant.
“They’re dying,” Han Yu-ra’s voice trembled.
Her eyes turned to Jin-woo.
He was sitting with his eyes closed.
He’s already been in that position for five minutes.
She didn’t understand.
There are people dying. They need help.
How could he rest like that?
“We need to go!” Han Ji-joon said.
Kim Dae-sung also stood by his side.
Their colleagues were dying.
These are the people who have been with them together since they started in the guild.
They couldn’t just sit there waiting for their death.
Han Yu-ra bit her lips.
“We need to wait for Jin-woo.”
“What? Are you going to watch your colleagues die?”
“I want to help, too. But…”
Before they left as a special team, Park Tae-sung spoke with Han-Yura.
“If anything happens,” he told her, “trust Kang Jin-woo, as much as you trust me.”
Park Tae-sung told her to trust him.
So, she will.
As much as she trusted Park Tae-sung.
It was then.
Whoosh-!
A strong breeze passed by the three people.
* * *
[Focus on your mind.]
Jin-woo closed his eyes and concentrated.
[Erase everything around you.]
Even with my eyes close, he knew there were three people with me.
He erased their presence from his thoughts.
I’m alone.
I’m alone in a space of complete darkness.
[Fill the dark space with your inner air.]
He slowly spread the inner air within his body.
It was as if he dropped white paint on black drawing paper.
Gradually, the space was filled with color.
[Now, this world is yours. You dominate this space. There is nothing you can’t see.]
He opened his eyes and looked down.
My world.
People are fighting Minotaurs.
[Pull your sword.]
My sword?
[Everyone’s sword.]
But… how?
[Pull it out.]
I understand now.
[Skill: You acquired the second phase of the Red Moon Method.]
Jin-woo raised his hands.
“Sologogu.”
[Skill: Dokgogu Sword is activated.]
[The attack power of the sword increases.]
He pulled out all the swords in his world.
Tulle-!
Dozens of swords flew up all at once.
“What… … what?!”
“Suddenly, my sword!”
“How?!”
He heard people panicking.
At the same time, he felt his mana running out quickly.
[Use the skill the octopus gave you.]
“Infinity Mana!”
[Skill: Use Infinity Mana.]
[You can use the skill without consuming 5 minutes of mana.]
Mana was no longer reduced.
[Now…]
The swords that flew began attacking all at once.
Swords began to cut down the Minotaurs.
They pierced their bodies, cut off their limbs and necks.
The Minotaurs tried to fight.
However, aiming for only a fast-moving sword was impossible.
Their tough stone bodies were cut as easily as tofu.
They began to fall one by one.
[Level has risen.]
Jin-woo heard a system alert whenever a Minotaur falls.
He didn’t care.
He was too immersed in his world.
He can’t lose focus.
Puck-!
As a sword pierced through the last Minotaur’s head, Jin-woo collapsed.
Blah-!
“Shhh!”
Soon, his world dissolved.
The place where he was before returned.
He was surrounded by Han Ji-joon, Kim Dae-sung, and Han Yu-ra.
The swordsman was right beside him.
[What a weak guy. Fainting after only a few minutes?]
However, the swordsman said it with a smile.
[It wasn’t bad for the first time, though.]
Jin-woo laughed.
[Why did you laugh?]
Master, he thought, as his vision blurred.
For the first time… you praised me.
With that, Jin-woo fell unconscious.