Chapter 104

Finally arriving at the Trial Hall, we inserted the two gems obtained from defeating the Manticore and the Seven-Horned Serpent into the eyes of the statue at its entrance.

“Damn it all, so this is what they were for. What the hell have we been doing all this time?”

Choi Taekil grumbled as if it were all meaningless, but in truth, they weren’t lacking.

From the start, this place wasn’t a game but reality, and a person’s life was singular. It wasn’t a place where mistakes could be undone through saves or loads.

For them to break through various hardships and conquer this Black Forest would have been nearly impossible.

Grrrrrrrr.

Grrrrooom.

Anyway, once the gems were inserted into the statue’s eyes, the door to the Trial Hall finally opened.

“…If we pass through here, we can really go back.”

“Don’t worry. Since Kangyoon brought us this far, I will open the exit this time even if it costs me my life.”

Jang Hansoo and Yoo Taejin recited with solemn resolve, but in fact, it held no meaning.

From here on out, it was a place not permitted to them.

Click.

Thud!

“What is this?”

“…I can’t enter either.”

“A Barrier Seal. Perhaps there are still more conditions we need to fulfill.”

That expectation of Yoo Taejin’s completely crumbled when Han Seoa and I, who attempted to enter next, stepped through the door.

“…Oppa.”

“Yeah. Looks like only we can go in.”

I said it nonchalantly, but I knew. The fact that only Han Seoa and I present here met the entry conditions for the Trial Hall.

As if realizing the condition soon after, Jang Hansoo, who had been silently pondering, struck the wall with his fist.

Thump.

“…It’s time.”

“Hey Hansoo, what do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t the diary say it was a test to examine qualifications? It means we’ve already lost that qualification.”

Jang Hansoo’s prediction was accurate.

To add an explanation, those who have spent a year since falling into this Black Forest lose the qualification to enter the Trial Hall.

From Witch Verdi’s standards, taking that much time for the first stage was tantamount to being unqualified.

“What kind of bullshit is that? Then, does that mean we can never get out of here?”

“…That’s probably not it. Judging from the contents of the diary Kangyoon brought, it’s highly likely that once a qualified person passes the trial, the others will also be able to escape the labyrinth.”

Ultimately, we who could enter the Trial Hall had to somehow obtain that qualification.

It was a moment when the burden on my shoulders truly grew heavy, but since I already knew all the facts anyway, I calmly looked at them and spoke.

“It seems there’s no other way. I will definitely pass the trial and obtain the method, so please join the others at the hideout and finish preparing to escape from here.”

“Are you really sure? It doesn’t seem like a good choice. Rather, waiting for another capable person to fall into the labyrinth within the one year that Kangyoon and Seoa’s qualifications remain…”

“You know it, don’t you. If not now, there will be no opportunity.”

There’s the matter of Xiao Chen, and there’s no guarantee that the civilians who have already begun to hope for escape can hold out until then.

Moreover, it’s unknown whether truly useful personnel will fall into the labyrinth within a year.

Perhaps recognizing that, Yoo Taejin gave us a bitter look and wished us good luck.

“I’m sorry we can’t be of help. It might be an irresponsible thing to say, but if it’s the two of you I’ve seen, I’m sure you can pass the trial.”

“…I will definitely make it so.”

Thus, Han Seoa and I parted from the group and entered inside the Trial Hall.

And as expected, the interior scenery, all too familiar to me, welcomed me.

‘Long time no see.’

From a combat strength perspective, the departure of Yoo Taejin’s group could be seen as a significant loss, but to be honest, it was actually more convenient that way.

‘From the start, the two of us are enough.’

That’s because I had no intention whatsoever of breaking through this Trial Hall head-on.

‘…Will about 30 minutes be enough?’

From now on, it was time to return to the player’s perspective and make full use of that knowledge.

The Trial Hall contained numerous rooms leading to the destination, the Witch’s House, and the path was not singular.

Simply put, one chooses the direction to proceed in and somehow breaks through the gates to reach just before the destination.

And of course, I had already conceived the optimal path I could currently take in my mind.

[I shall pose a question. Something hotter than the sun and colder than the moon existed at the beginning, and at its feet lies…]

“Step on this and that, then go stand on the pressure plate under that blue lamp over there.”

“…Okay. Got it.”

Rumble.

Grrrooom.

[Thus, Margarita, the daughter blessed by the sun’s third blessing, to elevate the honor of the tribe…]

The statue kept spouting riddles programmed by the witch, but we ignored them and moved straight to the next room.

There had been several gates so far, but the clearing process wasn’t much different.

[What is being tested is will and perseverance, unwavering firmness. Can you endure this pain?]

This time, it was a gate to judge whether one possessed a Level worthy of inheriting the witch’s knowledge. One simply had to choose one of the four rooms ahead and endure its environment.

“Stick right behind me and follow. You absolutely must not fall behind this time.”

“…Okay.”

I chose the fourth room without hesitation and entered, confronting the extreme curse left by the witch inside.

However, naturally, my Forbidden Technique Value did not allow me to be affected by a curse of this level.

If it had been a curse of full power, it might have been different, but since it was a test, its power was adjusted.

“We’re about halfway now. Probably just a bit more to go.”

The Ancient Witch Verdi believed that the one to inherit her knowledge must possess not only power but also culture comparable to it.

Therefore, she had instructed that this Trial Hall also be created with a fitting concept.

At the time, the demands were too detailed and bothersome, but now, fully benefiting from it, I sent a word of thanks to an unreachable somewhere.

“Let’s go this way next.”

Seeing my overly relaxed demeanor despite the solemn parting with the group, Seoa showed a slightly suspicious reaction.

“Oppa, by any chance, did you take the Academy exams like this too…”

“That was pure skill.”

Anyway, there was also this reason why I brought up the prophecy ability to Seoa.

If I hadn’t, there would have been no way to explain all these eccentric actions.

‘It’s about time.’

Passing through various gates in that manner, we finally reached the core of the Trial Hall.

‘Now, just need to get past here.’

Honestly, the difficulty of the gates so far was high in itself, but the final gate was truly extraordinary.

One had to face a Sorcery Doll created by the witch herself, and through the witch’s history heard in the gates passed so far and hints given by the Sorcery Doll, figure out a specific keyword needed to reach the destination.

In short, it was a gate requiring the simultaneous use of body and mind.

‘Moreover, the doll’s Level is 62. A higher level than even the Manticore or the Seven-Horned Serpent.’

Faced with that gate of extreme difficulty, I wasn’t worried in the slightest.

That’s because I, the true creator of this place, already knew what that keyword was.

“Then I’m going in. Follow carefully.”

“Okay, got it.”

Grrroom.

Creeeak.

Entering the final gate, among unknown portraits of women, the form of someone gazing at them could be seen.

‘Appraisal.’

Ding!

【Eve】

▶Level 62

▶Stats

【Stamina: A+】

【Monstrous Power: -】

【Art Formula: A+】

【Mental Power: A+】

▶Traits (6/10)

【Witch’s Resonance (A+)】

【Composite Being (A-)】

【Combat Instinct (A-)】

【Swift Blade Through Chaos (A-)】

【Output Enhancement (B-)】

【Monstrous Strength (C+)】

It was the Sorcery Doll created by the witch, Eve.

Creak.

Crick.

Swoosh.

As if it hadn’t moved for a long time, Eve rattled its joints with a start and turned its gaze toward us.

And it began to raise the long blade in its hand.

‘Here it comes.’

From now on, it would spit out hints to inform the challengers of the keyword, attempting an attack with one pattern each time.

But I had no intention of waiting for that. Frankly, I wasn’t confident I could withstand even Eve’s first pattern right now.

So I immediately uttered a single word.

“Verdi.”

The name of the sixth princess blessed by the moon, the last witch of her era who received the most love from the stars, the very one who created this dungeon.

Crick.

Click.

Hearing that, Eve, who seemed about to say something, closed its moving mouth and simply drove the blade into its own heart.

Crash!

Thud!

Then, it took out a key from there, threw it to us, and lost power, collapsing.

Whoosh!

Squeak.

Clink.

Creeeak.

Picking up the key that fell at my feet, I called over Han Seoa, who was now just blankly staring ahead.

“Let’s go.”

“…Okay.”

Creek.

Crick.

Clunk.

Grrrrrooom.*

With this, all gates were breached.

Even using every possible shortcut and still going through this much hardship, I can’t even imagine how much power would be needed to do the same thing head-on.

It’s not called an impregnable labyrinth for nothing. I came to respect the protagonist party of the sequel who cleared the labyrinth through legitimate means.

“…Oppa, is this the place?”

“Seems like we’ve arrived. It must be the Witch’s Room written in the diary.”

It felt strange to have reached this bonus stage I created myself, but now wasn’t the time to be immersed in such sentiments.

Coincidentally, just as we cleared the final gate, the Black Bird left at the entrance was Spirit Dismissed.

The Barrier Master of Night School, Xiao Chen.

“From now on, your role is important.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah. Since we’ve passed all gates, we should now have the qualification to inherit the knowledge. We need to obtain that to get out of this labyrinth.”

And, only when a certain item given upon completely clearing the Trial Hall is obtained can we deal with Xiao Chen who is coming here right now.

The Black Forest Magic Stone containing one of the four parts of Witch Verdi’s knowledge.

I guided Han Seoa to where it was prepared.

And, placing it in her hand, I said.

“If you obtain the witch’s knowledge, you’ll receive a gemstone that looks similar to this. We need that to stop Xiao Chen. I’ll leave the Black Bird, so give it to her.”

“Okay, got it. I’ll definitely bring it.”

As if guessing that I would go to stop Xiao Chen, Han Seoa infused Spiritual Power into the magic stone with a solemn expression.

And then, she lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor.

‘If it’s Han Seoa, she should have met all conditions, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.’

Realizing that all the plans I had laid were reaching their end, I let out a small laugh.

Then, the final action to take was simple.

‘…Come.’

Xiao Chen, a member of Night School and a Special-Rank Barrier Master.

Now it was time to settle matters with her.