novelraw Chapter 70 : The Gigantic Labyrinth
Chapter 70 : The Gigantic Labyrinth
“Look! Look! This is the real deal! That gigantic S-rank labyrinth—it’s reappeared after five years!”
“And just as expected, this time it’s east of Flemont!”
“In the coming days, adventurers from across the kingdom will be flooding in!”
“The great labyrinth era is about to begin again!”
Rozelite was practically squeezed into the Adventurer’s Guild hall by the surging crowd.
As soon as they entered, Russell saw a weasel-faced man ignoring the staff’s attempts to stop him. He stood on the counter holding up a notice covered in writing, waving it excitedly at the crowd.
He shouted things like “The great labyrinth era is coming!”, “Adventuring may become the hottest profession yet!”, “Register now as an adventurer and receive a novice starter pack!”, “Couples’ inns offer 20% discounts with adventurer IDs!” and so on.
Russell couldn’t even be bothered to listen. He walked straight to the notice board to check the latest postings.
“Mr. Slime, don’t you want to hear what that guy is saying?”
Rozelite asked curiously.
“He’s just saying a labyrinth popped up nearby, right? Nothing special.”
Russell sounded disinterested.
“Besides, it’s written right here on the board. Why bother going to shout in a crowd?”
“I see...”
Rozelite followed his gaze and also saw the new notice posted on the board.
Labyrinths were roughly divided into four categories by their size and depth: small, medium, large, and gigantic.
Small: at most two floors. Medium: three floors. Large: four floors. Gigantic: five floors or more.
As a rule, the deeper the levels, the greater the difficulty. Similarly, the higher-ranked labyrinths tended to be deeper. Most S-rank labyrinths were large-class.
Gigantic ones were rare.
And this time, without any warning, a gigantic S-rank labyrinth had appeared near Flemont—its name was [Undead Fortress].
Starting about fifty years ago, every three to five years, this labyrinth would manifest for roughly one month before vanishing again.
From the second floor onward, all monsters inside were undead. Fighting them wasn’t only troublesome, but the oppressive atmosphere also put heavy strain on the mind. And because it lasted so briefly, those coming from afar often couldn’t arrive in time.
According to rumors...
Even S-rank adventurer teams had attempted to conquer it. Some recruited hundreds of skilled adventurers into a temporary expedition corps. Yet in the end, they were forced back in defeat on the fourth floor.
Russell also noticed something odd.
Most of those rushing to join the excitement were young and relatively low-ranked. Meanwhile, the older, more seasoned adventurers seemed uninterested. They had no intention of joining in, and even looked at the eager novices with a touch of amusement.
Knowing there had to be a reason, Russell asked someone nearby.
At first, the man acted dismissive.
But after Russell spent two silver coins to buy him a drink, he quickly opened up with enthusiasm.
“Having money really is wonderful.”
The answer was simple.
It wasn’t that the labyrinth itself had some hidden problem, but rather a well-known fact among veterans:
Undead monsters dropped pitifully few materials.
Low-ranked ones disintegrated into ash the moment they were slain, leaving nothing behind.
High-ranked ones also dropped little, but were absurdly strong on top of that. Nobody liked them.
Experienced adventurers avoided undead monsters whenever possible.
So, even though this gigantic S-rank labyrinth had become infamous over fifty years, it remained unconquered—not only due to its difficulty, but also because of its lack of worthwhile rewards.
“Undead, huh...”
Russell thought it over. He hadn’t considered pursuing that kind of specialization.
In truth, he wasn’t fond of undead abilities. Not for moral reasons, but simply because the idea of summoning skeleton soldiers out of bone piles still dangling with rotting flesh and reeking of dirt and blood... was utterly revolting.
Unless absolutely necessary, he had no interest.
“This isn’t some Korean comic.”
Russell checked the board again. Confirming that Rozelite’s bounty hadn’t been posted, he returned control of the body to her.
“Mr. Slime, you don’t want to keep using it?”
Suddenly regaining control, Rozelite blinked in surprise.
“Didn’t you always want to become human? Now you finally get to experience normal human senses through my body. And you’re already stopping? I don’t mind, you can use it as long as you want, really!”
“No, I’ve told you before, haven’t I?”
Russell sighed helplessly.
“What I want is to truly become human. Not mimicry, not symbiosis, not transformation. I mean a complete change of race into a human.”
“Oh...”
Rozelite tilted her head, puzzled.
She didn’t quite understand. If one’s appearance, consciousness, and senses were identical to a human’s, what difference did it make compared to a “real” human?
She didn’t get it, but chose to respect his wish.
“And besides, even with sensory synchronization, some things just can’t be experienced,” Russell muttered.
“They can’t?”
Rozelite asked in confusion.
“Mm...”
After all, she was just a girl. She couldn’t possibly grasp certain “male fixations.”
Russell couldn’t explain further. Telling her “you don’t have a second brother” would be far too rude. Especially given Rozelite’s fragile mental state, he thought it best to tread carefully.
“For the next few days, don’t worry about anything else. Let’s focus on training—to see if we can pull off that move,” Russell said.
“That move... right, no problem!”
Recalling Russell’s wild, almost absurd idea, Rozelite’s eyes shone with excitement.
No matter how impossible it sounded, if they succeeded in pulling it off, that would mean—
She could finally be of real help to Mr. Slime!
...
The news of the Undead Fortress’s reappearance spread rapidly across the land.
Though veteran adventurers steered clear of undead labyrinths, that didn’t stop glory-seekers from flocking here in droves.
A labyrinth that had existed for fifty years without being conquered, one that periodically vanished—it carried an irresistible air of mystery.
Even if they couldn’t conquer it, simply bringing back loot from its deeper levels would be enough to boast about for years.
In the adventurer trade, fame often mattered more than strength.
And so, adventurers who could reach Flemont in time began setting out immediately upon hearing the news.
At the same time...
An S-rank adventurer party, originally planning to return to the capital straight from Ato City, changed their plans the moment they heard of the Undead Fortress’s reappearance.
They turned their course toward Flemont.