Hwareureuk.
A torch flared up inside the dark cave.
Jung Yu-shin held the torch high and looked around.
The party members were standing back-to-back with their weapons drawn, centered around Jung Yu-shin, keeping a vigilant watch in all directions.
The Mouse Beastman, Mars, sniffed the air and peered into the darkness before speaking.
"No problems."
Iron Mask rested his greatsword over his shoulder.
"Understood. Mars will take the lead, Ska will follow behind Mars to light the way with the torch. The priest stays in the center. I will take the rear."
Starting from the front, Mars, Jung Yu-shin, Kubo, and Iron Mask lined up in single file.
Jung Yu-shin adjusted his backpack while standing behind the Mouse Beastman.
Clean instructions that needed no further addition. As expected, he really isn't from an ordinary bloodline.
"We're lucky. The portal to the 2nd floor is close by."
The Mouse Beastman, Mars, said as he tucked the map into his shirt.
Teobeok. Teobeok.
Uneven ground. Humid air.
The group held their breath and moved forward into the darkness.
The Labyrinth, 1st floor.
Carelessness was forbidden, but there wasn't much to worry about.
If the torches ran out, one would go mad in the darkness, but they had plenty of spares. As long as they were careful, they could proceed safely.
Jung Yu-shin and the party members walked straight through the darkness for several hours.
"Halt."
The Mouse Beastman leading the way suddenly stopped.
"..."
All the party members gripped their weapons and glared into the darkness.
"It's a trap."
"Everyone, on alert. Ska, get next to the Mouse Beastman."
Iron Mask commanded from the very back.
"Understood."
Jung Yu-shin moved up beside the Mouse Beastman with the torch.
The Mouse Beastman walked a few steps, then stopped and knelt on one knee.
"It's an ankle trap. They've smeared filth on the wooden awls."
"Tsk."
Jung Yu-shin clicked his tongue at the Mouse Beastman's words. It was the same simple trap Kaal had fallen into.
For a trap that was only seen in the outskirts of the Hobgoblin territory to appear so openly on the 1st floor, it seemed there were truly very few people around.
Jung Yu-shin glanced at Mars as he disarmed the trap.
Thanks to 'Quick Hands,' one of the Engravings the Mouse Beastman, Mars, possessed, the disarming didn't take long.
"It's done."
Mars finished disarming the trap and stepped back.
"Good. Return to formation and keep moving. Since there's a trap, there's a chance Hobgoblins are nearby. Be careful."
Under Iron Mask's smooth commands, the party members continued through the darkness.
After walking for about another hour, they reached the end of the 1st floor Labyrinth.
A stone monument stood alone in the center of a massive cavern.
It was the teleportation stone leading to the 2nd floor.
"We will take a short rest here."
The party members each took a spot around the torch.
Jung Yu-shin leaned his back against the wall and loosened his boot laces.
He didn't feel much fatigue.
It was because the weight wasn't that heavy, thanks to the magic backpack the assassin had dropped. It was also thanks to rolling around and sparring intensely at the Swordsmanship Guild.
Jung Yu-shin raised the visor of his helmet and tilted his canteen to his mouth. Lukewarm water flowed down his esophagus and into his stomach.
He calmly caught his breath while observing the party members. Especially Iron Mask.
The leader of the party.
The 1st Prince hiding his identity.
A man who never spoke of himself.
If he sensed even a hint of a question coming, he would either change the subject or remain silent.
There wasn't even an opening to talk about the 5th Prince.
It felt like he was intentionally avoiding any talk about the past.
Why is that?
He tried to wrap his head around the 1st Prince's perspective, but it wasn't easy.
After all, he wasn't royalty, nor was he living on borrowed time. There was a sense of kinship, but Iron Mask's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.
So far, there had been nothing strange about the orders Iron Mask had given. He hoped it would stay that way.
'Should I watch him a bit longer?'
Reaching a tentative conclusion, he took out some jerky and chewed on it.
Two hours later.
Jung Yu-shin and the party members stood up after getting enough rest.
Since the monument to the 2nd floor was right in front of them, there was no need to rush.
That being said.
There really were no people around.
They had been sitting at the entrance to the 2nd floor for about two hours, and not a single party had passed by.
"Let's head out."
Iron Mask, with his backpack on, spoke to Jung Yu-shin.
"Understood."
He held the torch and placed his hand on the monument.
Then.
Hwaaaak.
A blue portal and a red portal were generated in front of the monument.
Seureureung.
Jung Yu-shin drew his arming sword and stepped into the red portal.
A brief sensation of floating.
He landed on the hard floor of a cave.
Jung Yu-shin turned his gaze to quickly assess his current location.
No one was there.
One by one, the party members emerged from the red portal behind him.
Jung Yu-shin and Iron Mask met eyes once and nodded.
"All clear."
"Good. Today we will find a shelter on the 2nd floor and camp."
Mars, the Mouse Beastman, took the map from his shirt and looked at it.
"Mmm-hmm. We're lucky. We teleported to a place close to the monument for the 3rd floor."
"What about a shelter?"
Iron Mask asked.
"There's a shelter nearby as well. About 30 minutes away."
"Good. Formation as before. Move out."
They continued through the dark cave.
Just as Mars said, after walking for about 30 minutes, they found a small cavern hollowed out in the cave wall.
The party members went inside and unpacked their gear.
Jung Yu-shin took out a blanket and covered the shelter's entrance to prevent light from leaking out.
The party members sat around the central torch and took out their food to eat.
Iron Mask didn't eat; he just sat there, stroking his greatsword.
The party members chewed on their dry rations in silence.
As is the case with most novice explorers, their bodies and minds were stiff with tension on their first day in the Labyrinth, making for an awkward atmosphere.
After finishing their meal in silence, they all sat together, staring blankly at each other's faces.
"How are we deciding the night watch?"
"Priest Kubo-nim will use an alarm magic."
Jung Yu-shin asked, and Iron Mask answered.
"Good."
Jung Yu-shin completely unpacked his gear and leaned against the wall.
The Dwarf priest, Kubo, held his hands close to the torch and muttered something.
"O Ifrit-isiyeo, Spirit God of Fire. Hear the prayer of your faithful servant, Kubo Heavyhand, and with the authority of the flame... shine upon this place."
[Fire Sanctuary]
As Kubo finished his chant, the torch burned brilliantly.
It was magic filled with divinity, of a different caliber than the alarm magic Ahiman used to use.
Jung Yu-shin stared blankly at the torch burning with a golden light.
"...Divinity burning in the dark Labyrinth. It truly is beautiful."
Iron Mask, leaning against the wall, murmured.
"..."
To be able to fall into such sentiment while looking at a torch in the pitch-black Labyrinth, he was certainly a person of considerable nerve.
Jung Yu-shin looked away from Iron Mask and began preparing for sleep.
He loosened his scabbard so he could draw his sword at any moment.
Since he had to stand in the vanguard to defend and block the path, he took a spot facing the shelter entrance directly.
He closed his eyes while wearing his helmet. It couldn't be helped if his neck got a bit stiff. If you take one hit, you're gone forever.
Suddenly.
The fight with the assassins flashed through his mind. Had he thrown off his helmet? He couldn't remember clearly.
'I was crazy.'
He must have been in the darkness for quite a long time then, too. Madness is terrifying.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
* * *
"Ska, wake up."
Jung Yu-shin opened his eyes immediately.
"Did I sleep long?"
"Not really. You slept for about 6 hours. And put that sword away."
Jung Yu-shin lowered the sword pointed at Iron Mask and stretched his body.
The party members' complexions looked peaceful, as if they had slept well through the night.
"It's a feature of Priest Kubo-nim's alarm magic. It puts the mind at ease and restores physical strength."
Iron Mask said as he leaned back against the wall.
Jung Yu-shin nodded.
He thought he was just some 'ass-y' high-tension priest in a thong, but he had to reconsider.
"Iron Mask, aren't you going to eat?"
"I already have."
Iron Mask replied calmly.
Jung Yu-shin took off his helmet and pulled out his dry rations.
Biscuits baked with plenty of dried fruit and honey. They were preserved rations for the Labyrinth that the Teddy Bear had made in abundance.
Jung Yu-shin showed a bear-shaped biscuit to Iron Mask once, then popped it into his mouth and chewed.
It was so sweet it felt like his teeth might rot.
The Mouse Beastman sniffed the air, then suddenly looked surprised.
"Oh! That?!"
"What?"
"Aren't those biscuits from Mr. Bamfring's Shop?"
Bamfring.
The Teddy Bear Beastman. The owner of the bakery. He had helped him out with some heavy lifting when moving flour sacks.
"Is it a famous shop?"
"His baking skills are so outstanding that everyone knows him. Even the high-ranking people living in the Central District can't get enough of them, they're that rare..."
"Really? I'll give you some later if there are any left."
"Seriously? Eat them sparingly!"
The Mouse Beastman said with sparkling eyes.
The party members finished their meal and proceeded through the dark Labyrinth.
* * *
Four days had passed since then.
"Finally..."
Jung Yu-shin murmured with a trembling voice.
A wide hill outside the cave.
In the distance, a dark metropolis could be seen below.
The 5th floor.
The city of Engrave.
The final floor he had reached with Karin's party.
Now, they just had to cross that city and reach the teleportation stone leading to the Forest area.
He had heard that high-ranking Hobgoblins swarmed there, but they would be fine if they proceeded with enough caution.
Over the past four days, they had been lucky enough to land near the teleportation stones for the next floors.
There were almost no encounters with Hobgoblins.
A few stragglers had clung to them, but they had all fled screaming after being hit by the Mouse Beastman's arrows.
The Dwarf priest standing next to Jung Yu-shin had a dazed expression.
"In all my life, I've never reached the 5th floor this easily. Is this even possible?"
"Isn't this all thanks to the grace of the Spirit God?"
Jung Yu-shin replied smoothly.
"A Barbaroi speaking of the Spirit God. Hmph. I know it's rude to say this, but it feels a bit blasphemous."
'The only thing blasphemous is your outfit.'
For a Dwarf who walked around nearly naked, wiggling his buttocks except when he was sleeping, to criticize him.
He barely suppressed the urge to reach out and smack those buttocks.
"Let's go. We've been lucky so far, but we ultimately have to cross the city of Engrave."
Iron Mask approached and said.
The party members slowly descended the high hills and walked toward the city.
After walking for a few more hours.
The party stood before the massive city gates.
Through the gates, they could see parts of the city shrouded in darkness.
The thought of having to navigate through that with only a single torch made him realize it wouldn't be easy.
Of course, it wouldn't be as difficult as having to push through a life-or-death situation like the last Eldritch Wave.
But in a Labyrinth where you could die from a single touch, he couldn't afford to be careless just because it was relatively easy.
"Wait!"
Mars, the Mouse Beastman, shouted. The party members simultaneously drew their weapons and guarded all directions.
"Is it Hobgoblins?"
Iron Mask asked.
"No. This is..."
The Mouse Beastman hesitated.
At that moment, just as Jung Yu-shin was about to ask something.
A party of people appeared from behind the city gates.
A party consisting of one human male and three females.
Jung Yu-shin narrowed his eyes.
The human male's face was familiar.
'...I've seen him somewhere. Ah!'
He remembered. It was easier to recall because they were around the same age.
Early 20s.
Blue hair.
The human with the Engraving of a Genius Swordsman.
He was the guy he had caught a glimpse of when he was looking for a party at the Explorers Guild before.
He had definitely heard he was looking for a harem party, and it seemed he had finally gotten his wish.
The blue-haired man in leather armor slowly approached.
Jung Yu-shin immediately stepped forward and blocked the man's path.
The blue-haired man smiled and waved his hand.
"Hey. Calm down."
"..."
Jung Yu-shin gripped his shield in silence.
To tell him to calm down after being caught hiding near the city gates by their guide.
He was about to say something but stopped. He wasn't the leader of this party, so it was right to keep his mouth shut in public.
Iron Mask stepped forward immediately.
"Who are you? Why are you hiding near the city gates?"
The blue-haired man laughed.
"I'm the Explorer Ret. I wasn't hiding, just resting for a bit. Don't misunderstand."
"...Is that so. Understood. We need to enter the city, so make way..."
The blue-haired human, Ret, cut off Iron Mask's words.
"That aside, I have a proposal."
"What kind of proposal?"
Iron Mask asked with a reluctant voice.
Ret smiled and held out his hand.
"Let's join forces."
"..."
Iron Mask fell silent and stared intently at Ret.
In front of the gates of the 5th floor city, Engrave.
A strange silence settled between the two burning torches.