Jung Yu-shin looked down at his hands, forgetting even the desperate struggle he was in.
He could feel it.
An enormous energy was swirling inside his body.
"Th... this is?"
Is this the taste of the holy magic Mion-sin-gwan-nim packed so generously?
He would never be able to forget it.
The other party members also stood up one by one and looked at Jung Yu-shin.
It was because Mion's holy magic had not only filled Jung Yu-shin but overflowed, healing the others as well.
Someone swallowed hard.
How should they describe it?
His black hair had turned gold and was fluttering.
Since his face was handsome enough to pull it off, it didn't look out of place at all; rather, it looked as if he had found the perfect hair color.
Furthermore, the way his entire body radiated brilliance made it look as if the Spirit God had descended into Ska's body.
They prided themselves on having seen many wondrous sights as Intermediate Explorers, but it wasn't to this extent.
The Dwarf spoke in a trembling voice.
"H... hey, Barbaroi?"
"What?"
"N... never mind."
"How dull."
At that moment.
The Lich Prince screamed and backed away.
"Huoaaaaargh!!!"
"I'm going."
Now was not the time for this.
Jung Yu-shin gripped his Bastard Sword and kicked off the ground.
Physical abilities strengthened by all sorts of buff magic.
Jung Yu-shin's figure stretched out long in an instant.
One step.
Two steps.
In just two steps, he reached the front of the Lich Prince.
The Lich Prince swung its bone staff convulsively.
Hu-ung.
With a flash, the Lich Prince appeared in the center of the village.
Did it use Blink magic or something?
It didn't matter.
With this much power, he could play tag with that bastard all day long.
[Ice Spear]
From behind, Lena's ice spear flew and embedded itself into the Lich Prince's body.
"Let's go!!! Now's the chance!!!"
Mick, the lion beastman party, and the Dwarf party all ran after Jung Yu-shin.
Are they Intermediate Explorers after all?
They weren't completely without wits.
The entire party left the half-destroyed Pub and stood in the center of the village.
The Lich Prince raised its staff and aimed it at Jung Yu-shin.
Wiiiiiiiiing!!!
A black sphere gathered at the tip of the staff.
Jung Yu-shin crouched and ran forward quickly.
The black sphere flew toward Jung Yu-shin.
It was incredibly fast.
But to Jung Yu-shin's eyes, it looked sluggish. He dodged it easily with a step.
The black sphere struck right next to Jung Yu-shin and exploded.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
Stone fragments scattered and dust billowed up, obscuring Jung Yu-shin's figure.
The party members who were running toward him flinched and froze.
At that moment.
Hwaaaaak!!!
Breaking through the dust, Jung Yu-shin's figure leaped high into the air.
He was biting the handle of the Bastard Sword in his mouth while holding a golden Single-edged Axe high.
Even the Lich Prince froze stiff in surprise.
Jung Yu-shin slammed the axe down toward the Lich Prince's head.
"Khiiiiiiiik!!!"
The Lich let out a bizarre scream and waved its hands.
A black barrier was created in an instant.
Jung Yu-shin's eyes burned fiercely.
A barrier?
It didn't matter.
He would break it.
The downward strike he had swung every day for nearly half a year with blood and sweat.
It didn't matter what weapon was in his hand.
For it contained the spirit that split the dawn every day.
From top to bottom.
Jung Yu-shin's axe tore through the air and collided with the barrier.
Swaeeeeeeeeek!!!
Kwaaaaang!!!
The black barrier shattered into pieces like a breaking window.
Kajangchang!!!
Jung Yu-shin's axe didn't stop and embedded itself into the Lich Prince's skull.
Kwazizizik!!!
The Lich Prince's green eye-light shone brightly for a moment.
As he twisted the embedded axe, the Lich Prince let out a bizarre scream and struggled.
"Ska!!!"
All the party members charged in with their weapons ready.
They surrounded the Lich Prince, who was slowly falling from the air, and swung their weapons diligently.
Jung Yu-shin, hanging onto the Lich Prince's head, took the Bastard Sword from his mouth and held it in a reverse grip.
And then he stabbed down.
Kaaaaaaaak!!!
The Bastard Sword pierced through the Lich Prince's head.
The light vanished from the Lich Prince's eyes.
The Lich Prince's body, which slowly fell to the ground, turned into ash and scattered.
Lich Prince.
Subjugation complete.
Jung Yu-shin, having landed on the ground, plopped down.
It wasn't that his body was tired. He was mentally exhausted.
"Are you alright?"
The Dwarf approached and spoke to him.
"I'm fine."
"Why didn't you use that Scroll earlier?"
"I received it from a sin-gwan-nim I know, but I had no idea it would be this much."
"..."
Everyone walked over one by one and surrounded Jung Yu-shin.
The lion beastman approached.
"Barbaroi, I have lost."
'What the hell is he talking about now?'
Jung Yu-shin looked up at the lion beastman without a word.
"Both your courage and skill are outstanding. I owe you my life. Take them. My females."
Jung Yu-shin looked at the female beastmen behind the lion beastman and then spoke.
"What kind of crazy talk is that? Have you suddenly lost your mind?"
"It's a lion beastman tradition. I've heard that all the females of the defeated belong to the winner."
Jung Yu-shin let Lena's explanation go in one ear and out the other.
"Is it Raikel? I am not a beastman. Don't talk nonsense."
"I-is that so? I thought you were a lion beastman?"
Jung Yu-shin left the flustered lion beastman alone and stood up.
"The Lich Prince hasn't been completely destroyed, has it?"
"No."
"It's a guy that'll come back to life if left alone. We need to find that Life Vessel or whatever it's called."
Everyone nodded at Jung Yu-shin's words.
"What does it look like?"
"It's a dark red core inside a polygon-shaped glass. I've heard it has various curse spells on it. You must be careful."
At Lena's explanation, the party members scattered and began to search for the Life Vessel.
They couldn't afford to delay.
Because they didn't want to face the resurrected Lich Prince again while resting idly.
The party members searched for a long time around the village, but they couldn't find the Life Vessel.
Two hours passed.
All the party members gathered again at the collapsed Pub.
Jung Yu-shin stood with his arms crossed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Life Vessel.
The jar that contained the Lich's life.
Where on earth could it be?
He had inwardly thought this event was the appearance of a floor boss.
Since he had found a giant Goblin corpse on the 5th floor, he thought there might be one on the 10th floor as well.
It was a conclusion Jung Yu-shin had reached after playing various MMORPGs.
Was it not?
Jung Yu-shin stroked his chin.
Come to think of it.
'Is this actually a game world?'
What if he had fallen into a game he had never heard of?
He didn't know what the genre was.
Because there were so many ridiculous abilities.
'Is it a romance fantasy...?'
Thinking of Mion and Karin, it could be.
The Barbaroi bastards came to mind.
'It could be a hardcore dark fantasy adult game.'
Labyrinth City had too many peculiar humans.
It was a city where if five people gathered, you'd end up doubting the origins of all five.
In martial arts novels, they say to be careful of children and old people, but here, you had to look at everyone with suspicious eyes.
Suspicion.
Suspicion, huh.
Jung Yu-shin looked down at the Dwarf party.
"Dwarf, what were those wooden boxes you guys were moving earlier?"
"It's nothing much. We were asked by the Merchant guild to recover items they left behind when they hurriedly withdrew from the 10th floor."
"What kind of items?"
The Dwarf shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Let's open them up."
"That's a bit···."
Come to think of it, this Lich Prince guy had some heterogeneous parts compared to the giant Goblin on the 5th floor.
"We've searched the whole village, but that Life Vessel or whatever isn't anywhere. I heard this place was fine during the last Eldritch Wave too?"
"..."
Jung Yu-shin took a step toward the Dwarf.
The smell of a conspiracy was thick.
"Open them."
"Whew. Fine."
The Dwarves brought out the boxes they had hidden back in the warehouse one by one.
There wasn't much.
There were only dried rations, medicine, torches, and miscellaneous daily necessities. A few Magic Tools were visible, but they weren't anything great enough to care about.
However, when they opened the last few boxes, they contained a large number of leather pouches.
"What's this?"
"Magic Stones and loot from previous floors."
"Why did you gather this here?"
"Usually, explorers restock on the 10th floor before heading down. On this floor, they use Magic Stones or valuable loot instead of money to exchange for supplies. Of course, the cost-effectiveness is ridiculously bad."
"Can't they just carry around something like a backpack with space expansion magic?"
"It's because they're expensive, not just a penny or two. And how much more can you even put in? Even if the items here are more expensive than in the city, there's no other way."
"Open them all."
The Dwarf's eyes widened.
"All of them? There are dozens of sacks; when are we going to untie them all?"
"So you're not going to do it? The Lich Prince could be resurrected."
As Jung Yu-shin glared, the party members sat down in the collapsed Pub and opened the sacks one by one, turning them over.
All sorts of wondrous materials popped out.
As expected, there were various rewards in the Labyrinth.
"It's amazing. A whole bunch of wondrous materials I've only seen in books...!"
Lena's eyes sparkled as she rummaged through the sacks.
In terms of Gold Coins, the value was immeasurable.
The Dwarves had reluctant expressions.
Jung Yu-shin, rummaging through a sack, looked up at the Dwarf.
"Was the reason you moved while we weren't here because of this?"
"That's right. No matter how much support we give as a survey team, where are the explorers whose eyes wouldn't turn at the sight of expensive loot?"
Certainly.
"Tsk."
Jung Yu-shin clicked his tongue and continued rummaging through the sacks.
He searched for a long time, but there was no sign of the Life Vessel.
Jung Yu-shin threw the sack aside and grabbed his head.
"Shit."
Was it a wild goose chase?
Nothing in life ever goes right.
The smell of a conspiracy was definitely thick.
It seemed it was just a delusion.
He wasn't a detective, so it couldn't be helped.
Feeling absurd, he stared blankly at the hole in the ceiling before standing up.
"Let's go. There's nothing more we can do. We need to return to the city and report this quickly."
The Dwarves looked up at Jung Yu-shin with blank faces.
"···You're just going to leave after untying all these sacks?"
"Do as you please. I killed that skeleton head, didn't I?"
"That's true, but... it feels strangely unfair."
"I'll wait for you."
The Dwarf party members gathered again, put the items back into the sacks, and picked up the boxes.
They seemed to be strong fellows, as they looked perfectly fine despite carrying several boxes each despite their short stature.
The three parties trudged out of the village and arrived at the Teleportation Stone.
Jung Yu-shin stepped forward and placed his hand on the Teleportation Stone.
Huaaaaang.
A red Portal and a blue Portal appeared.
The Dwarf party went first, followed by the lion beastman party.
Finally, all of Lena's party members entered.
Jung Yu-shin remained for last.
It felt uncomfortable.
Because even though the subjugation was over, it felt like it hadn't been finished perfectly.
Moreover, he felt like he had fallen behind because the Barbaroi bastards had struck first.
Then.
Jung Yu-shin's body froze stiff.
Barbaroi?
Wait.
Jung Yu-shin grabbed Lena, who was just about to enter the Portal.
"Wait a minute!"
"Yes?"
Lena turned her head and looked at Jung Yu-shin.
"That Lich Prince, it didn't have a lower body. Is it usually like that?"
At Jung Yu-shin's question, Lena thought for a moment and shook her head.
"No. I don't think it's usually like that."
Jung Yu-shin's mind raced.
Barbaroi.
The missing lower body.
And the missing Life Vessel.
Jung Yu-shin's eyes widened to their limit.
Suddenly.
Realization came to him.
No.
Is it a heart demon?
'These crazy bastards?!'
It couldn't be, right?
Surely.
"Ugh!!!"
Jung Yu-shin grabbed his head and staggered.
His runaway imagination disturbed Jung Yu-shin's mind.
"No. It can't be. Shit. If they're human···."
He shook his head to shake off the heart demon. He couldn't just jump to conclusions.
First, he had to report to the guild.
He decided not to imagine any further.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Jung Yu-shin sent Lena, who was wearing a curious expression, ahead and stepped into the Portal.
Passing through the red light, the scent of fresh air wafted around his nose.
A breeze that had cooled down a bit brushed past Jung Yu-shin's hair.
Seeing the evening glow hanging over the castle walls, he realized it.
I'm back.
The party members were standing a short distance away from the exit magic circle.
They all looked fine, as if they hadn't received any special Engraving.
And the sense of liberation he felt.
Jung Yu-shin placed his hand on his heart.
Did I get an Engraving?
What kind of Engraving is it this time?
At that moment.
Light began to pour out of Jung Yu-shin's body.
"Oh shit? Wait a minute! Wait!!! What kind of crazy Engraving is it now?!!!"
The flustered Jung Yu-shin waved his hands here and there, but the light pouring out grew stronger and stronger.
Soon.
Flash!!!
Jung Yu-shin's body was enveloped in an immense brilliance.