The party, having packed up the campsite, began their journey toward the fourth floor. On the surface, the atmosphere didn’t seem all that different from before.
Hugo took the lead as usual, while Mirien, the scout and archer, explored the surroundings as they advanced. The dwarf warrior Krom guarded the rear and Elly and Shia followed them nervously. Hans who was accustomed to the routine trailed behind with the supply bags slung over his shoulders.
And right in the middle of it all, Yujin casually followed along with the group. Everything appeared to be ordinary for the party; though there was something slightly amiss.
“Um… Mr. Yujin.”
“Yes? What is it, Mr. Hugo?”
Hugo sidled up to Yujin and addressed him quietly. He was making sure no one else could overhear.
After casting a brief glance toward Mirien, Hugo made a curious expression before finally speaking up.
“…Well, let’s take a short break for now!”
It seemed whatever he wanted to discuss wasn’t something he could say in Mirien’s presence. Hugo announced the break while surveying their surroundings.
At his command, the party stopped their march and began to rest. Meanwhile, Hugo gave Yujin a subtle look, one that clearly conveyed he wanted to speak privately with him.
Understanding his intent, Yujin gave a slight nod in return, having already picked up on what Hugo likely wanted to say.
While the party rested, the two of them quietly separated from the group and moved to a secluded spot in the forest.
Facing Yujin, Hugo finally spoke.
“Um… Mr. Yujin, did something happen between you and Mirien last night?”
As the leader of the party, Hugo seemed to have noticed something unusual about Mirien’s demeanor.
“She seems… how should I put it? More withdrawn than usual. Almost as if she’s scared of something. She’s trying not to show it, but…”
“Ah… I see.”
Yujin had noticed it too, but Hugo’s keen observation skills as a long-time leader stood out. He was perceptive enough to pick up on even subtle changes in his team’s behavior.
Mr. Hugo really has exceptional instincts.
The fact that Mirien seemed more withdrawn wasn’t lost on Yujin either. But then again, Yujin possessed transcendent senses and had been directly involved in last night’s events.
However, Hugo, without needing much more than a quick observation, had immediately noticed that Mirien’s demeanor was different from usual. Considering that the others hadn’t picked up on anything strange, he was definitely very perceptive.
Hugo spoke.
“I know that you’re not the type to get into arguments with anyone, Mr. Yujin. I was just curious if something happened during your watch with Mirien last night.”
“I see… Well, I did mention this to Mr. Hans, but I did have a brief conversation with Miss Mirien yesterday.”
“A conversation, you say… Would it be all right to ask what you talked about?”
“It wasn’t anything significant. I’ve never really spoken with Miss Mirien before, so when we started our watch, I thought I’d break the tension with some light conversation. Of course… well, she’s a rather reserved person, so I was mostly ignored. Haha.”
“Hm… Mirien does tend to be like that. And then?”
“Well, I didn’t want to waste the whole time in an awkward silence, so I talked to myself a bit to pass the time. It felt like I had to take the lead in keeping the atmosphere alive. At one point, I got a little playful and told her a scary story…”
“Ah…”
At that, Hugo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“I see. I didn’t think Mirien would be the type to get so scared by just a story, but… if it’s you, Mr. Yujin…”
Hugo seemed to accept the explanation easily as if it made perfect sense coming from Yujin. Yujin watched him and gave a faint, ambiguous smile. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved that the matter was resolved so easily.
“Anyway, thank you for explaining. If it felt like I was interrogating you, I apologize.”
“Not at all. As the party leader, it’s only natural for you to check in when you notice a change in a team member’s behavior.”
“Haha… I appreciate your understanding.”
Hugo laughed sheepishly and nodded his head. Then, he addressed Yujin.
“Well, let’s head back. I think it’s about time to wrap up our break.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
With that, the group resumed their march once again.
***
The life of a demon trapped in a labyrinth was, more often than not, unbearably boring and dull.
Trapped in the prison called the labyrinth, living a life where he could do nothing more than play small pranks under the guise of “trials” on insignificant mortals.
Was this even a life? Most demons certainly didn’t think so.
Perhaps the lizards who claimed to be wise or the simple-minded brutes who only cared about sleeping and building their strength didn’t give it much thought, but to demons, life in the labyrinth was, quite literally, hell.
A hell of monotony.
The only thing keeping them from going crazy from the boredom was inflicting trials on mortals.
Encheos was one of those demons.
[I’m so bored…]
He was bored.
Bored to the point of death.
He couldn’t endure the endless boredom any longer.
[Fu*k it, is this really how demons are supposed to live?]
No, it wasn’t. This wasn’t living. Not for anyone, not even for a demon.
[Should I just take a risk and head up to the upper floors? The mortals who make it down here to the lower floors are no fun at all, even when I give them trials.]
The mortals who reached the lower levels were usually quite skilled. In short, they welcomed trials and overcame them with ease. They even enjoy the challenge.
Encheos wondered if it might be better to take a loss and go up to the upper floors to find some entertainment. At least the mortals there had a bit more of a fresh and inexperienced charm. He enjoyed watching those naive fledglings, who didn’t know their place, accept his trials, only to crumble in despair.
The problem was that Transcendent beings like him typically stayed in the lower levels and delivered their trials there. That was the rule. But… there were exceptions.
By accepting a significant “loss of rank”, it was possible to ascend to the upper floors. The downside was that the difficulty of the trials he could impose would also decrease.
No matter how you look at it, this is ridiculous. There’s nothing fun to do in the lower floors!
The lower floors of the labyrinth offered no entertainment. Besides, Encheos wasn’t even a high-ranking demon to begin with.
The loss of rank that occurred when a transcendent being ascended from the lower floors to the upper floors of the labyrinth was proportional to the size of their power. For a demon like Encheos, whose rank was relatively low, the loss was not as serious compared to higher-ranking demons.
Of course, rank was an extremely important aspect for any transcendent being, so few demons were willing to bear such a loss to ascend.
But Encheos didn’t care. He felt as though he might die if he didn’t find a way to break free from his unbearable boredom immediately.
Scream! Shriek! Wail! Despair!
With great anticipation for the terror and hopelessness he hoped to draw from the mortals, he ascended to the upper levels.
…Completely oblivious of what might be waiting for him there.
***
Meanwhile, the party progressed to the end of the fourth floor and soon stepped into the fifth.
Although they encountered a few battles along the way, Elly who had struggled previously managed to perform her role well this time; she seemed to have learned from her earlier mistakes. The rest of the group also exceeded expectations, so no significant problems arose.
Upon entering the fifth floor, Hugo spoke.
“We’re now on the fifth floor. Here, our task is to locate and clear out a goblin village. Once that’s done, today’s exploration of the labyrinth will be complete.”
“Yes!”
“Additionally, we need to consider Mr. Yujin’s need to collect magic materials. Let’s keep that in mind as we proceed. Now, let’s move.”
With that, the party set out to find the goblin village.
As they advanced, Yujin paused occasionally to collect magic materials. Not long after, they stumbled upon a village.
“We’ve found a village.”
Hugo immediately moved to hide himself among the nearby trees.
“We found it sooner than expected. For now, Mirien will take care of the goblins patrolling around the perimeter one by one, and then—”
“…Wait.”
Just as Hugo was about to explain the plan, Mirien interrupted him with a tense voice. Hugo turned to her and made a puzzled face.
“Hmm? Mirien, what’s wrong?”
“…There are no goblins guarding the village.”
“…What?”
Hugo furrowed his brow slightly at the comment before turning to Hans.
“Hans, do you have a telescope?”
“Yes, here it is.”
At that, Hans pulled a pair of binoculars from his bag and handed them to Hugo. The latter brought the binoculars to his eyes and began surveying the area. After examining the village for a moment, he muttered,
“…There really aren’t any.”
“That’s strange. There are no goblins at all? Not even the ones guarding the village?”
The puzzled Krom also muttered to himself. Lowering the binoculars, Hugo responded,
“They’re not likely sleeping inside. Let’s check it out to be sure.”
With that, Hugo led the group toward the village. Meanwhile, Yujin spoke to Tiamat.
Lady Tiamat, I’ve never felt this kind of heavy energy before, but… could it be?
[…Yujin, I think you’re right about what you’re sensing.]
For once, Tiamat’s expression was grim as she replied,
[A demon.]
By the time she said this, the party had reached the interior of the village.
“As I thought, there’s nothing here—”
“Wait!”
At that moment, Mirien spoke urgently; her expression was frozen in fear.
“Mirien? What’s wrong—”
“This is… No, it can’t be. But there’s no mistaking it…”
“What’s going on?”
Mirien muttered incomprehensible words, leaving Hugo bewildered. Then, it happened.
Thud, thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed from a large tent deep within the village.
The expressions of the entire party hardened as they instinctively turned their gazes toward the tent.
Thud, thud.
The creature had green skin, much like a goblin. However, its size was far from ordinary; it was towering well over two meters and possibly nearing three meters. Its hulking frame was matched with a grotesque pig-like face,
“…An orc?”
Standing before them was a monster. An orc.
In its grip dangled the lifeless body of a goblin shaman, dressed in robes reminiscent of an ancient sorcerer. The goblin shaman’s neck was grotesquely twisted.
Whoosh!
The orc flung the broken goblin shaman’s body far into the distance. Then, with a wide, sinister grin stretching its face, it opened its mouth to speak.
[Welcome, mortals!]
It wasn’t just an orc.
No, a demon had taken possession of the orc’s body. The booming voice of Encheos echoed powerfully.
[A trial awaits you!]
At that exact moment—
<The demon, Encheos, wants to give you a trial.>
A translucent blue screen materialized out of thin air in front of the party members.
<Trial Objective: Defeat the orc possessed by the demon Encheos.>
<Do you accept the trial?>
<YES> <NO>
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