Chapter 106

As mentioned before, the Eternal Labyrinth is divided into four distinct areas.

And to obtain all of Witch Verdi’s legacy, one naturally had to clear all four of those labyrinths.

‘The Fissure Stone was a means of transportation to find and travel to other labyrinths for that purpose.’

The method of using the Fissure Stone was simple: infuse it with Spiritual Power, input a destination among the other labyrinths, and then insert it into any Barrier of a certain level or higher.

Doing so would cause that Barrier to act as a medium for the Fissure Stone, transforming into a sort of portal.

‘It was just bad luck for Xiao Chen.’

She is a top-tier Barrier Master, but precisely because of that, she hardly uses Cursed Techniques from other lineages besides Barrier Techniques.

If she had stopped the Fissure Stone using a means other than a Barrier, she at least wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.

‘She should have arrived by now.’

To say it now, but I actually sent Xiao Chen to Blind Mountain, considered the worst even within the Eternal Labyrinth.

And the reason Blind Mountain was rated as having the worst difficulty was simple.

‘It’s the only area that hasn’t been cleared in the original series yet.’

I vaguely heard it was slated to appear in Series 8, the most recently planned installment during my time over there, but honestly, I don’t really know what happened with it.

However, there was one thing I knew for sure.

No matter how much of a Special-Rank Exorcist Xiao Chen was, it was absolutely impossible for her to escape Blind Mountain by her own power alone.

‘Well, the highest Level of the Area Boss over there is a whopping over 70.’

Offering silent condolences that wouldn’t reach Xiao Chen, a victim of power inflation, I met with Han Seoa and checked the legacies she had obtained.

“How was the Witch’s knowledge?”

“…I still don’t really know. It seems it will take time until I can utilize it in actual combat.”

That was only natural. If anyone could use it so easily from the start, the title of Ancient Witch would be undeserved.

Besides that, it seemed Han Seoa had obtained several items as mentioned in the original work, which were as follows:

【Ring of Sun and Moon】

▶ A ring considered a sacred relic of the Ancient Witch clan. The wearer gains special effects when the sun is up and when the moon is up, respectively.

• Can only be worn by females.

【Formless Pouch】

▶ A box created with an ancient Cursed Technique, possessing vast internal space. The owner can store or retrieve desired items through the box.

• Current storage capacity: 13%

【Witch Verdi’s Seal】

▶ A seal into which the Ancient Witch Verdi personally infused her power. Using it on a designated space can open a dimensional fissure leading outside the Black Forest.

There was also a Fissure Stone that opened a path to challenge other areas of the labyrinth, but that had already been used up as I used it on Xiao Chen earlier.

Even so, the remaining two items undoubtedly appeared to be top-tier Cursed Tools.

‘…A Formless Pouch. I didn’t think I’d see this in reality.’

An item used in the game like additional inventory.

It would be an item difficult to create with modern Cursed Techniques no matter how much money and time were poured into it.

‘Anyway, it’ll come in handy.’

After checking them, I told Han Seoa to wear the Ring of Sun and Moon herself.

Since a Cursed Technique that only females can benefit from is applied to it, it holds no particular meaning for me.

Just in case, we searched Witch Verdi’s room one more time and finally headed with the results to the hideout where Yoo Taejin’s group was hiding.

“…You succeeded in the end.”

The group’s reaction was intense. Yet, on the other hand, they also showed faces that seemed unable to fully grasp it.

Surely the arduous years until now were stirring their hearts this way and that, leaving them unsure of what to do.

After encouraging each other’s efforts, we headed with swelling hearts to the location prepared for opening the escape fissure.

In the process, I also learned a fact I hadn’t been aware of.

“While you were gone, Mr. Hansu and Mr. Taekil went out to scout. They said only the corpses of Woo Kibeom’s group remained there. It seems to be Xiao Chen’s doing.”

Probably because all the interest she had in them had faded, she likely found no more reason to keep them alive. In a way, it was a choice fitting of Xiao Chen.

“We’ve arrived. Right here.”

Soon, diligently quickening our pace, we finally reached our destination.

The opposite side of the deep forest’s inner depths, the entrance of the base point.

Precisely the place where Han Seoa and I had first fallen.

“This is the place to get outside……”

There, an arched structure that hadn’t been there before had appeared, its shape almost like a giant door.

And beneath it, a groove was carved, just the right size to fit the Witch’s Seal.

‘……’

The group members looked at each other, intuitively sensing this was truly the end, and began exchanging farewells.

“Thank you for following me, despite my shortcomings. I don’t know what will happen from here on, but I will absolutely never forget the memories from this place.”

“Leader, why say such sad things? We’ll meet again outside, safe and sound.”

“…Yeah. We definitely will. You all. And me too.”

Then Choi Taekil approached me, his expression changing several times in that brief moment before he spoke.

Even though he had already apologized once, it seemed his initially rough attitude still weighed on his mind.

“You’re really going to go far, kid. If you ever need help outside, always look for Choi Taekil of Mapo.”

“I’m from Sillim, so I can’t go to such a scary neighborhood.”

“Ah, come on, I said I was sorry about that. Making an unfitting joke at the very end.”

Laughing, we shook hands, received thanks from the civilian group protected by Yoo Taejin’s party, and then placed Witch Verdi’s Seal into the prepared groove.

Whoosh.

Click.

Click-click-click!

A dimensional fissure door, slightly different in form from the ones I’d seen twice before.

With nothing left to hesitate about, the group members began stepping inside, one by one.

And so, we finally escaped the northern area of the Eternal Labyrinth, the maze of the Black Forest.

Meanwhile, after Han Kangyoon and Han Seoa disappeared, full-fledged abnormal phenomena began occurring at Dohwawon, where the Cheonghwa Academy students were.

The people of Dohwawon and the Academy students disappearing one after another.

No matter how much they reviewed the CCTV footage, their traces couldn’t be found, and it was even difficult to figure out through which route they had vanished.

While seeking cooperation from nearby Guard Units to uncover the truth of the incident, there were those who first succeeded in approaching the root of the situation.

Namely, the original protagonist’s group, Yoo Haon and his companions.

“Damn it, no wonder the missing people aren’t seen anywhere if they’re in a place like this.”

Having chased the incident for a long time due to a friend’s disappearance, Yoo Haon’s group finally unraveled all the secrets, reached Sahwanje’s Nest, and succeeded in finding the missing people.

However.

“What’s this? Why aren’t Seoa and that guy here?”

“None of the people dragged here and imprisoned by the Specter have witnessed anyone similar, something’s strange.”

“Same here. Nothing comes to mind at all.”

“…Burn it.”

Hwang Jihak, who helped Yoo Haon’s group defeat Sahwanje, shook his head, and Kongsami, who made a significant contribution to rescuing the people, also emitted fire with a gloomy expression.

Looking at Kongsami, Baek Eunseo tilted her head and voiced her doubt.

“If this kid is here, doesn’t that mean that person was here too?”

“…Probably so.”

“Don’t tell me they’ve already been… caught and eaten or something……”

It was Cheong Joohwa, who, unlike usual, had been actively involved in the incident alongside Yoo Haon’s group, who denied that statement.

“That’s unlikely. He’s not the kind of person to be done in by a Specter of this level.”

“…Well, it would be funny for someone who was always at the forefront breaking everything to die in a place like this.”

Sahwanje was a creature with truly tricky and troublesome Art Formulas, but it wasn’t the type with overwhelming combat abilities.

“Then we’re back to square one. It’s certain he came here, so what, did he sink into the ground this time?”

Just as everyone was about to fall into silence, Kongsami, who had been still, began tugging at Cheong Joohwa’s hem and heading somewhere.

The place they arrived at was clearly the cavern where numerous passages existed that Sahwanje had cherished like treasures.

“Well, they’re all destroyed now, so there’s nothing left.”

[Kieeeek.]

Sahwanje, held in Hwang Jihak’s grasp, looked at the scene and wailed pitifully.

As much as he wanted to perform Spirit Dismissal on this detestable creature immediately, they had no choice but to postpone it for now as they still needed a passage to get outside.

“Ugh, we should probably inform the outside soon. We can’t keep people here forever.”

And while Baek Eunseo was pondering repeatedly, Kongsami suddenly approached Sahwanje, grabbed its horn, and began pointing somewhere with a finger.

“Burn it.”

[Kehik?]

As Sahwanje just stared blankly at it, Kongsami got annoyed and punched Sahwanje’s head.

Thud.

[Keheek!]

“…Burn it?”

Sahwanje flailed with a look of not understanding, and Kongsami continued to harass it like that.

Thump.

Thump.

Thud.

Finally, Baek Eunseo and Hwang Jihak, unable to watch any longer, spoke up.

“Did this thing do something?”

“Fire Goblin, I understand you’re in a bad mood being separated from your master, but it’ll be troublesome if that thing dies. You should calm down a bit……”

The anomaly occurred right at that moment.

Fizzle.

Fsssssssh.

Zzzzzzt!*

A fissure suddenly appearing in mid-air began to swell in form and emit an unusual energy.

And from there, someone slowly walked out.

It was none other than the missing Han Kangyoon and Han Seoa.

As the entire group stared blankly at them, Han Kangyoon, having grasped the situation simultaneously, opened his mouth as if understanding.

“You caught Sahwanje.”

“…Why are you coming out from there?”

Towards Baek Eunseo, flustered by the situation beyond common sense, Han Kangyoon let out a deep sigh and continued.

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

While the detailed situation was unclear, seeing the disheveled state of the two, it was certain they had gone through considerable hardship.

“…Burn it.”

Kongsami scurried over and clung to Han Kangyoon. Han Kangyoon patted Kongsami’s head a few times, then used a Cursed Technique to put it into the shadows.

“Then, shall we sort out the immediate situation first?”

And so, the series of incidents that occurred at Dohwawon were concluded for the time being thanks to the efforts of the Cheonghwa Academy students.

The other events that unfolded in a place deeper than that remained only in the hearts of Han Kangyoon and Han Seoa.