Chapter 360: Labyrinth Race (2)

“If you step on the blocks carelessly, it’s hard to even go up.”

“Is there some correlation between size and height…? It’s surprisingly hard to find a connection.”

Those who realized they couldn’t climb the blocks in a normal way began to fight to drag each other down.

“That sorcerer found a way!”

“So there was a set way to cross, get out of there!!”

“Screw you, bastards. Why would I!!”

KABOOM!!

All eyes turned to the person who first stepped on a high block, and dozens of superhumans clashed not only on the ground but also between the blocks.

As Lennok and Evelyn quickly distinguished friend from foe, watching the chaotic battle unfold dozens of meters below.

“You two. Do you remember my face?”

A familiar, soft voice echoed nearby.

Dein, the leader of the Kavahim Knights. He asked, having leaped cleanly onto the block where Lennok and Evelyn stood.

“These blocks in this chasm. It seems they prevent you from reaching the gate unless you step on them in a set order.”

“…”

“If you happen to know the order, I’d appreciate it if you’d tell us. I’ll properly reward you after I pass my gate.”

“If we knew that, we would have passed this gate a long time ago.”

Lennok replied with an indifferent expression.

“But you must know the way you came up here, right?”

“We just stepped on random blocks and ended up here. We’re stuck too, so we’re figuring things out.”

“Really?”

Dein’s eyes gleamed eerily.

“A 7-level Archmage, who can’t remember the path he just took… that’s very convincing.”

“…”

“My guess is, you haven’t lost your way, but are deliberately occupying that block. As if one can’t pass the gate without going through there.”

SWISH!!

A sharp sword cry.

The moment he noticed the sound, a silver blade flickered from Dein’s left hand.

A dazzling flash streaked through the chasm. Immediately after, the block Lennok and Evelyn were standing on split cleanly in half.

“So, let’s talk after you come down from there.”

Simultaneously, after 10 seconds had passed, Dein’s body Translocated to the ground. He had intentionally ignored the sequence and climbed onto their block to drag them down.

CRASH!!

As the sizable block shattered, Lennok and Evelyn both staggered, but neither of them fell from the block.

Unlike Maiya, these two had no way to resist the forced Translocation occurring in this space.

Regardless of Dein’s misunderstanding, they had to hold out on this block until Davi finished her calculations or the Mystic Eye activated.

“I think you’re mistaken. If you’re going to act like this, I’ll have no choice but to retaliate.”

On the rapidly regenerating block, Lennok re-gripped his rifle and retorted.

“I appreciate your consideration in not drawing your sword last time, but can’t you think a little more rationally?”

“I’m afraid I cannot.”

Dein, having regained his stance below, let out a sharp laugh.

“Half of the knights who entered this labyrinth are already dead. For their sake, I must achieve my goal.”

“…”

Lennok could sense the blatant exhaustion mixed in his words.

“If you’re a competitor I’ll have to fight over an Ascendant’s artifact eventually, I won’t hesitate long…!!”

With those words, Dein’s body surged dozens of meters through the air, charging towards Lennok.

There was no hesitation in his movements as he lightly stepped on the floating blocks in the air, rising swiftly upwards.

He was planning to use the allowed 10 seconds to propel himself through this chasm to subdue Lennok with all his might.

“I see.”

Lennok, adjusting his rifle again, smiled.

“Actually, I think so too.”

BANG!!

Flames erupted from the rifle’s long barrel, instantly propelling the bullet at supersonic speed.

Immediately after, the bullet fragmented in all directions, unfurling hundreds of strands of magical threads from within.

The moment the dense, faint net of magical threads, almost invisible to the eye, was precisely aimed and shot at Dein’s form.

SHWING!!

A silver flash, rotating clockwise, instantly cut through the net and propelled the knight’s form upwards.

An intangible sword aura, impossible for Lennok’s naked eye to fully perceive.

How must one swing a sword to not only cut through a net attempting to ensnare them, but also accelerate Dein’s body further into the air?

There was no time to ponder.

Because within Dein, as he rapidly closed the distance, a chilling sound like blades slicing resonated.

Inner world Miniature Universe deployment. Distortion of physical laws.

As if to uphold his words, he was truly exerting all his power, intending to drag Lennok and Evelyn down.

[Taihoe Geomryeon (殆回劍鍊)]

[Eight Form: Gwangeop (廣圍)]

[Gunwol (群鉞)]

KABOOOM!!

The silver sword cry, revolving around Dein, pulverized all the surrounding blocks into dust.

‘Is he planning to destroy the entire foothold and force us off the block…!’

Dein’s blade didn’t stop there, fearlessly aiming for Lennok’s solar plexus.

The chilling killing intent in his eyes proved that Dein’s words were not empty threats.

“Ugh…!!”

Evelyn immediately stepped in front of Lennok and tried to act, but she let out a groan, seemingly still affected by her previous battle with Maiya.

The moment Lennok, seeing this, began to channel his magic to block Dein’s sword technique.

A brown-haired woman appeared right beside them and kicked Dein directly in the side, sending him flying.

KABOOM!!

Unassuming brown hair. A somewhat languid expression. A simple longsword slung over her shoulder.

Evelyn, instantly recognizing the face, shouted with a bright expression.

“Jiel!!”

“What’s this idiot’s problem now? Why is he picking a fight with you guys?”

One of the high-level Watchers who had reached Level 7.

Jiel, an Archmage-level ability user from the Eyes of Blue whom Lennok had seen once at a meeting, grumbled indifferently.

She glanced back at the two, then nodded with a knowing smile.

“Well, whatever. I’ll deal with that guy, so let’s call it a debt repaid.”

“Debt?”

“You apparently helped some of my disciples at the first gate. Thanks to that, they managed to grab a few useful artifacts nearby and got out.”

Lennok and Evelyn’s act of helping out while passing through the secret passage of the gate – she knew about it.

Jiel ignored the two of them, pointed downwards, and grinned.

“I’ll handle this area with that dog bastard, so just tell me the general way out before you leave. Deal?”

“AROOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Rapperd, the dog-headed giant carrying a massive temple pillar, was howling with a colossal spiritual entity conjured on his back.

“It seems other Watchers are also gathering one by one….”

“Not everyone can pass the gate, so let’s just neatly do what we each need to… huh?”

WHOOSH!

In that time, 10 seconds had apparently passed, and Jiel, mid-sentence, was Translocated to the ground.

Lennok was speechless at the sight of the swordswoman, who, instead of making plans, began to tangle with other competitors, including Rapperd.

“Evan. We can’t last long.”

Evelyn, looking at Lennok from beside him with a slight frown, spoke quickly.

“Because of Dein, the guys watching the situation below are starting to notice us here. We need to decide quickly, whether to advance or retreat.”

“…It’s fine. We’re ready now.”

“What?”

Instead of answering Evelyn, Lennok brought a finger to his left eye.

As he touched his eye with the magic gathered at his fingertip, Lennok’s pupil began to swirl with a violet color.

“The Mystic Eye is back.”

Red areas signified danger. Blue areas, opportunity.

Lennok had always treated these two colors, visible through the Mystic Eye, as visualizations of possibilities with contrasting tendencies.

Although he had consciously avoided relying on the Mystic Eye’s abilities, he had at least not entirely ignored the visualization of possibilities.

However, after he observed that the scenes reflected by the Mystic Eye and the directions indicated by the man’s illusion often differed while navigating the constantly changing labyrinth.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity’ were not separate concepts.

In this ever-shifting spectacle of red and blue vision, if one could realize that blue light isn’t always safe.

If there was a block that glowed lonely blue within a red-lit area.

One could, in fact, begin to doubt it.

“So that’s where it was.”

CRACKLE!!!

An intensely powerful electric light formed in Lennok’s left hand as he instantly channeled his magic.

[Hangroe (恒雷)]

A circular wave of lightning, flashing through his grip, surged forward, striking directly at a block floating near the chasm wall.

KABOOM!!!

Lennok spoke, glaring past the shattered, crumbling block.

“How long were you planning to hide?”

“…If you knew, you should have told me earlier, friend.”

Between the fragments of the block, the shadow on the wall distorted, and a robed young man emerged from within.

“Jawoon Audis…”

Only then did Evelyn recognize Jawoon’s identity, and she faintly furrowed her brow.

A secret space hidden within the vast chasm wall.

There was a narrow crevice, exquisitely hidden by the block’s shadow, just wide enough for a person to barely hide in.

Jawoon had been using that space to observe all the competition unfolding in this chasm until now.

“I can’t believe you noticed I was hiding. Your intuition is unnervingly good.”

Jawoon Audis, grinning widely as he looked up at Lennok, asked, staring precisely into Lennok’s eyes.

“That must be the power of your eyes, right?”

“…”

“You seemed unremarkable, but there was a reason Divine Bow kept you around.”

“You babbled on about cooperation, but it was all just nonsense.”

Evelyn replied, glaring at Jawoon with a cold gaze.

“Typical terrorist, in reality, you were just planning to stab everyone else in the back in this labyrinth, weren’t you?”

“Marcia, don’t be so negative.”

Jawoon shrugged and chuckled, lowering his stance.

“It’s not just something that happens in this labyrinth, is it?”

BANG!!

At that moment, Jawoon’s form shot through the air towards the two of them.

As he zipped past them, two gems tucked between his fingers vanished.

The gems, tumbling between the blocks, glowed and then exploded.

Completely shattering the block Lennok and Evelyn were standing on.

KABOOM!!

“I’m different from that slow knight from before.”

Jawoon, grinning as he fell towards the ground, snapped his fingers.

Immediately after, an unknown force field erupted from where the gems exploded, beginning to hinder the block’s regeneration.

“Ten seconds. It’s time to stop holding out and go down to the ground to bicker. I’ll be ahead by then.”

[Not a bad outcome.]

A voice from within Jawoon’s robe agreed with satisfaction.

Hiding near the chasm wall and observing the labyrinth entrants so far, he had identified individuals who could be genuine competitors in passing the gate.

The tendencies and abilities of those below who were focused on fighting rather than immediately ascending the blocks.

Even the judgment and insight of the explorers who were focused on solving the gate’s puzzles.

Excluding a few skilled individuals who had power but weren’t actively trying to clear the labyrinth, the two people who needed to be dropped first right now were those two.

Once they fell to the ground, it would take a long time to climb back up here.

Since they didn’t seem to have fully unraveled the secrets of this chasm yet, essentially, the only competitor while Jawoon reached the third gate would be the woman he encountered before entering the labyrinth.

Just as Jawoon was thinking this, waiting to see Lennok and Evelyn Translocate back to the ground.

“No.”

Lennok extended magical threads between his fingers and gripped them.

Jawoon’s expression changed dramatically as he saw the direction the thin magical threads, piercing through the air, were heading.

Lennok, having attached the magical threads to the exact chasm wall where Jawoon had been hiding, pulled himself and Evelyn towards it.

WHOOSH!!

Almost simultaneously as the two stepped onto the chasm wall, a block emerged from the wall.

“!!”

“Being able to destroy a block means you can also forcibly move its position and hide it.”

Lennok looked down at Jawoon’s bewildered expression and smiled.

“I didn’t consider the possibility that you might still be hiding in this chasm, so I didn’t question it… but now, it’s a different story.”

Jawoon wasn’t simply hiding in the shadow of the chasm wall.

The secret space he was hiding in was itself one of the blocks floating in the chasm, arbitrarily attached to the wall and hidden.

Davi’s directional calculations using magic Translocation were blocked because Jawoon had meticulously hidden the block’s very existence with his gem artistry.

If a puzzle piece had completely vanished, it would be impossible to calculate its sequence.

Seeing Jawoon’s face shift from bewilderment to anger, Lennok waved his hand.

“So, why don’t you go down in our place and buy us some time? The person who’s been so desperately chasing you seems to be waiting anxiously down there.”

“…Damn it.”

At those words, Jawoon turned his gaze, saw Dein glaring up at them from below, and let out a hollow laugh.

Lennok also smiled, watching him.

“We’ll go first. Let’s try not to meet a third time.”