Chapter 351: Hanghasa Labyrinth (1)

Fwoosh!!

The faint, glowing whip of flames in the dark labyrinth corridor.

Lennok, gripping the stream of fire that bloomed in his hand, twisted his shoulder. The superhuman, who had been hiding in the shadows and rushing towards Lennok, was instantly entangled by the whip, wriggling like a living snake.

Clatter!!

“Ugh!!”

“Damn it, run!!”

“No, if we distance ourselves, he’ll just snipe us in return…!!”

Boom, boom, boom!!

As magic power surged, the four bodies were engulfed in flames and turned to ash.

Lennok sighed, massaging his shoulder which had instantly stiffened.

“Whew…”

Fools who, even when caught by the whip, couldn’t make proper decisions and floundered. He wasn’t in a position to let those blind with greed live.

“Is it all over?”

Evelyn, dusting her hands, walked out from beyond the complicated labyrinth corridor.

Lennok nodded and asked.

“How about your side?”

“Same.”

Evelyn shook her head with a weary expression.

“The outer area of the labyrinth is too vast; it’s pointless to worry about latecomers now. It won’t be easy to tell if we’re ahead or behind until we reach a branching point.”

Two days had passed since they were the first to enter the Hanghasa Labyrinth, drawing thousands of eyes, just as the labyrinth opened.

Compared to Jindun’s reputation, the maze they had passed through had been a relatively ordinary succession of traps designed to deceive and kill people, but the real problem lay elsewhere.

“I expected it to some extent, but I never imagined it would have such a vast area…”

Lennok said this, looking up at the labyrinth’s ceiling, where not a single ray of sunlight entered.

A labyrinth corridor wide enough for three people to pass arm-in-arm.

Such corridors extended in all directions, creating an area that easily spanned thousands of meters.

Compared to what it looked like from outside, the internal area was impossibly vast. It was reasonable to assume that according to the Ascendant’s Mind Imprint created inside, space was continuously distorting to create new areas.

“I expected it when we first entered, but if the spatial distortion is this severe, it wouldn’t be strange if time flowed very differently from outside the labyrinth.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Even if we finish everything and escape, we should account for the possibility that the situation outside might be different from our expectations.”

Lennok said this while tapping the pristine white wall of the labyrinth corridor.

“It’s not difficult to gauge direction yet… but tracing our way back will be another matter.”

“We still remember all the paths we took. We could just draw a map as we go and record it.”

Evelyn said, but Lennok immediately shook his head.

“Remembering the path itself isn’t difficult. The problem lies elsewhere.”

Lennok said this, picking up an old notebook and handing it to Evelyn.

“Look at this. It’s a logbook I found on the corpse of an explorer we encountered on the way.”

Thousands of explorers had tried to enter this labyrinth and meet the Ascendant, or attempted to steal his possessions.

Only a very few returned alive; most merely left their corpses behind, failing to achieve their goals.

Lennok and Evelyn were also using these corpses as signposts to approach the interior of the labyrinth.

“The outermost part of the labyrinth is a simple maze, but the environment becomes drastically different deeper inside. Apparently, the change is particularly severe around what are called ‘gateways,’ which act as transit points.”

“The environment in the deepest part changes in real-time, making it difficult to discern patterns or rules…”

Evelyn frowned slightly, quickly scanning the notebook.

“It’ll be a headache if the labyrinth’s environment changes between entering and exiting.”

Lennok nodded.

“The fundamental reason the Hanghasa Labyrinth was created is very different from other ruins. This unique environment is probably due to that.”

Lennok muttered, silently gazing into the darkness beyond the labyrinth.

To manifest such a colossal Domain in the desolate snowfields of the Northern Continent, and then challenge Ascension without caring about external interference, was abnormal in itself.

While the thoughts of Transcendants who have firmly built their own answers to challenge Ascension may vary, looking back at Jindun’s hundreds of years of actions, it was clear that the labyrinth’s existence was not created to welcome or reject outsiders.

If the Hanghasa Labyrinth was the fruition of an Ascendant’s Mind Imprint manifesting as a world, then what did challenging Ascension truly mean?

Lennok didn’t ponder long amidst the elusive questions and delusions.

Ultimately, once Jindun’s fate was confirmed inside the labyrinth, all those answers would naturally follow.

“It’s a fork in the road.”

Evelyn said.

“What do you want to do?”

“Any other traces?”

“No signs within a few hundred meters.”

A fork in the path where the width and height were perfectly identical.

Until now, they had chosen paths by using abandoned corpses or discarded items as markers, but it was time to carefully consider their direction.

Approaching the labyrinth’s interior wasn’t difficult, but finding the path to Jindun within it was another matter.

Lennok took out the spyglass Lapis had given him from his pocket and brought it to his eye.

An artifact whose effects could only be seen by Lennok, who could crudely mimic an Ascendant’s magic power.

Evelyn asked from beside him.

“How is it?”

“Wrong. I see nothing.”

“I guess I shouldn’t have had high hopes…”

With a slightly dejected expression, she slumped her shoulders, put down her bag, and rubbed her waist.

“Before we decide which way to go, how about we eat? I don’t think we’ve eaten almost anything all day today.”

They had spent two full days figuring out the labyrinth’s information and advancing, so Evelyn’s suggestion was reasonable. From now on, as they entered deeper and encountered other entrants, they wouldn’t have much time to replenish their nutrients.

Just as Lennok was about to nod, thinking so.

“…Wait.”

A trivial thought flashed through his mind. But it would only take a moment to test it here.

He moved the spyglass from his right eye to his left eye.

Simultaneously, he activated his purple magic eye, simultaneously checking the red and blue options through the spyglass. As he gazed at the scenery beyond, Lennok silently opened his mouth slightly.

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

At his unusual reaction, Evelyn immediately turned her head, but Lennok, instead of answering, slowly lowered his gaze.

“…Right.”

“What?”

“If we go right at the fork, we’ll find a place suitable for rest.”

Lennok picked up the bag Evelyn had put down and muttered.

“Let’s go there and talk.”

A small clearing appeared in the direction Lennok indicated.

The two, situated between paths branching off into five or more directions beyond the fork, took out instant rations from their bags.

When magic power was infused into the small, packaged case and kneaded, it swelled up, transforming into enough food for a full meal.

The taste wasn’t great, but it provided enough nutrients and satiety to last a full day.

In a world where magic engineering was developed, even adventurer’s food was compressed and efficiently transformed using magic.

“No fresh vegetables…”

Lennok chuckled at Evelyn’s slumped figure, nibbling on a skinny piece of celery.

“Even with the help of spells to create preserved food, it’s hard to retain freshness.”

“And you’ve eaten all the vegetable bundles you brought…”

“That’s a wise choice. They won’t last long, so it’s best to finish them quickly.”

After quickly eating and rehydrating, Lennok told Evelyn about the information he had gathered.

“You can see it?”

“Yes. I had a hunch, but it seems I can roughly pinpoint Jindun’s location.”

“I don’t know how that’s possible.”

Evelyn sipped a potion from a small bottle, her brows furrowed.

“Ugh, but isn’t this too tasteless? It’s so different from what you used to make.”

“Bear with it. It’s good for you.”

“I can’t stand bad-tasting food.”

“Are you saying that while constantly eating vegetables all day?”

“Why? Vegetables taste much better than meat.”

“…”

While preferring either meat or vegetables wasn’t strange, wasn’t it odd to even compare their taste? He had things he wanted to say, but there was no point in discussing their taste buds here.

Lennok pushed aside his miscellaneous thoughts and clearly explained the information he knew to Evelyn.

The Palgung Fortress, the barrier surrounding the cracks within it, and that the barrier’s owner was the Ascendant Jindun.

And that the timing of his Ascension and the creation of the fortress’s barrier did not coincide.

After hearing it all, Evelyn’s expression also hardened faintly.

“…That’s an interesting story.”

“This is the only plausible reason I can think of for why I could gauge Jindun’s location when I used this spyglass.”

Lennok’s Mind Imprint works by observing countless possibilities and pulling them into reality.

And Lennok’s magic eye projects that Mind Imprint directly, visualizing fragments of that ability in reality.

His magic eye, which normally visualized possibilities moving around Lennok in red and blue zones, when combined with the spyglass’s lens designed to track desired magic power, could only be said to illuminate the possibilities of the original timeline that Ascendant Jindun possessed.

“Frankly, it’s hard to tear my eyes away.”

“If you say so, what on earth do you see beyond that spyglass?”

“A boy.”

Lennok said.

“I see a boy walking into the labyrinth.”

“…”

Only then did Evelyn’s face stiffen as she realized why Lennok was reacting so sensitively.

Lennok, receiving Evelyn’s gaze, slowly raised the spyglass.

As he brought his left eye to the lens and activated his magic eye, directly visualizing the realm of possibilities.

A hallucination that should never exist began to appear before his eyes.

[…]

A young boy with bright white hair.

The boy, wrapped in an unknown white robe, glanced back at Lennok and walked into the labyrinth.

Too young to enter this labyrinth. Was it the lingering resentment of a deceased person, or a memory projecting someone’s childhood?

Considering the direction and owner of the magic power reflected in the spyglass, that boy was probably…

All sorts of thoughts and assumptions spun in his mind, numbering in the dozens, but Lennok didn’t rush. He shouldn’t be impatient. After all, whether they could meet Jindun might not even be up to Lennok or Evelyn.

More importantly, he needed to consider why this was happening right now. All these experiences stemmed from the cracks and barriers researched in Palgung Fortress.

Evelyn, who managed the underworld of a mega-city, might know something.

After a while lost in thought, Evelyn spoke.

“I know what the Palgung Fortress barrier refers to. The grand spell created to seal the cracks when the fortress was built. I’ve seen it myself.”

“…”

“But the flow of magic power in the barrier, as I remember it, doesn’t feel the same as what flows in this labyrinth.”

“I see…”

So even Evelyn’s magical sensitivity couldn’t detect the similarity. Indeed, if she had known, she would have noticed the similarity and told Lapis before Lennok even arrived.

However, Lennok had kept this fact to himself, thinking that the very fact no one had noticed it until now might be a clue. Though it was hard to hide after confirming a hallucination like the current one.

“If what you’re saying is true, Van, it means the barrier sorcerer invited to the fortress was Jindun himself… that’s hard to believe.”

“We can consider two possibilities.”

Lennok said, holding up two fingers.

“First, Jindun, who was challenging Ascension, secretly acted to seal the fortress’s cracks for some reason.”

“And the second?”

Lennok folded his second finger.

“Jindun, as a mortal, and Jindun, as a Transcendent already challenging Ascension, existed in the same timeline simultaneously.”

“…”

Evelyn remained silent.

Lennok’s assumption was simply too preposterous for her to entertain.

Her past and present self existing simultaneously in the same timeline, leaving traces?

Was such a thing truly possible for a living human?

However, even thinking so, Evelyn couldn’t easily refute Lennok’s words.

“Don’t you think it’s not entirely impossible for Transcendent beings who want to change a predetermined outcome?”

As Lennok said, even she didn’t know the full extent of the miracles granted to an Ascendant.

Instead, Evelyn wanted to hear more of Lennok’s thoughts.

Opportunities to have such deep conversations and understand his fundamental way of thinking didn’t come often.

“What made you think that?”

“Because the fortress’s barrier and the labyrinth’s magic power were too different. I felt a similarity, but the difference between the two magic powers strongly felt like hundreds of years had passed for one to be perfected.”

Lennok gazed intently at Evelyn’s green eyes.

“Did Jindun intentionally hide his magic, or was it a trace left for some reason? Which do you think it is?”

“Hmm…”

Evelyn touched her ear, avoiding Lennok’s gaze.

“At least you seem to have already decided on an answer.”

Just as Lennok was about to respond, a tingling noise echoed from beyond the fork they had passed.

Thump…!

A faint, diluted sound of impact, echoing.

But in this labyrinth, it was an artificial sound that could never be a coincidence. Immediately after, a rich scent of magic power, like ripples, flowed in from beyond, and the two exchanged glances simultaneously.

“Seems right?”

“Yes.”

Lennok took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and replied.

“The first Archmage-level spellcaster we’ve encountered in this labyrinth.”

“The more people there are, the more our advantage fades. Let’s prioritize withdrawing if possible.”

Lennok nodded at Evelyn’s words, as she quickly packed their things and stood up. Hadn’t they drawn too much attention and focus while entering the labyrinth? Having collapsed an entire snow mountain and being the first to enter the labyrinth, there were probably quite a few people who bore a grudge against them, considering the casualties that occurred during that process.

Meeting others for the purpose of exchanging information might lead to an argument or a fight for no reason. While Lennok wasn’t averse to fighting itself, it would be difficult to withdraw in this labyrinth where they didn’t know where to escape. Of course, Lennok believed that with Evelyn, he could face any skilled opponent, but since meeting the Ascendant was a higher priority than killing an opponent, it was best to act in a way that avoided conflict as much as possible.

Whoosh…!!

A cold wind blew from the darkness of the corridor. A thick smell of blood mixed within it, causing both their faces to subtly stiffen.

Just as an unknown magic power filled the corridor and slowly approached.

Thud!

With the sound of something heavy falling, something rolled out of the darkness and revealed itself.

It was a human head, rolling half a turn on the labyrinth floor. The face was filled with horrifying traces of agony, as if its neck had been torn off while alive, and the severed section was gruesomely ragged.

“…”

As Lennok and Evelyn were momentarily silent at the sight,

Immediately after, someone in a hooded robe stepped forward from the darkness.

A sticky, viscous magic power emanated from their entire body. A complex magic pattern, making it impossible to guess their spell system.

Even the life signs spreading out were so layered it was hard to believe they were from a single person.

An Archmage-level spellcaster. And undoubtedly a formidable one.

Lennok and Evelyn naturally exchanged glances and subtly distanced themselves. Even if they didn’t attempt a preemptive strike, their chances of victory were sufficient. It wasn’t too late to observe how the other side would react before engaging in combat.

As the two were warming up their magic, the hooded figure stared at Lennok’s face and spoke.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“…”

A man’s voice that sounded familiar from somewhere.

The man didn’t wait for a reply and continued immediately.

“I heard you were participating in this, but I never thought I’d run into you right after entering the labyrinth…”

He muttered, slowly taking off his robe.

“Should I call it good luck, or bad luck?”

Slanted eyes with a serpentine impression. An expression so sharp it was piercing. A face hard to forget once seen.

Only then did Lennok recognize the young man’s face and slightly frowned.

“Damn it, right from the start…”

The leader of the terrorist organization Falshion, and now the Archmage-level gem sorcerer leading the criminal organization Elderbine.

Jawoon Audis, the highest-ranking wanted criminal in the Western Continent, stood before Lennok’s eyes.