Chapter 220

Xiao Chen blinked several times as she looked me over, then opened her mouth with a smile full of murderous intent.

“Who do we have here? I never thought I’d encounter the face I’ve missed so much in a place like this.”

Her appearance was, to put it mildly, not good, but her aura was as sharp and formidable as ever.

No, it seemed she had grown even stronger from overcoming the hardships she faced here.

“I thought about it every single day. If I ever got out of here and back to the modern world, the first thing I’d do is find you and settle the debt from that day.”

Frankly, this was a bad situation.

Not only was she still alive, but to run into her like this just as we were about to seriously tackle the labyrinth…

It was hard to predict what kind of negative repercussions this would bring later.

“…Ah, right. Now it’s starting to make sense. Come to think of it, even back then, you acted like you saw through more than the others.”

Xiao Chen, grinning, raised her fingertip and formed a Barrier as she spoke again.

“You knew the true nature of this labyrinth from the start, didn’t you? That’s why you came back here. Because there’s still something you need to obtain.”

Her deduction was somewhat off the mark, but in the end, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Now that my objective had been completely figured out, the situation was becoming even more troublesome.

I glanced at Sophia, who had already entered a Combat Posture, and then spoke quietly.

“I understand your anger.”

“Ha, do you have any idea what I’ve been through here? Just wait. I’m probably far angrier than you can imagine.”

“However, looking at the situation, haven’t you been stuck here, unable to progress any further?”

At those words, Xiao Chen’s movements halted abruptly.

Whether I had hit a nerve or not, her murderous eyes wavered slightly.

“Honestly, it’s impressive that you broke through the labyrinth alone up to this point, but you probably can’t go any further. You must have realized that enough from your experience here by now.”

“…So what? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had any reason to fall into this damn space.”

“It’s fine that you want to settle the score, but there’s no need to do it here,”

After all, even if she killed me, it would be utterly meaningless if she remained trapped here, unable to get out.

In other words, putting such grudges aside for now was a judgment for our mutual benefit.

“Well, judging by your reactions, you still have more comrades, right? Who’s to say you won’t join forces to take me down?”

“As you mentioned earlier, our objective is to conquer the labyrinth. Therefore, the experience of Ms. Xiao Chen, who has been here first, would be of immense help. Also, facing the labyrinth’s core, wouldn’t it be foolish to waste our strength unnecessarily?”

From Xiao Chen’s perspective, feeling uneasy was natural, but there was certainly merit to my words.

Frowning, Xiao Chen began to agonize.

And at that same moment, the rest of the party, sensing something amiss, began to reveal themselves one by one.

“Who is that?”

“We definitely met her in the Black Forest…”

Ultimately, having missed the timing, the situation became neither here nor there.

The final blow to Xiao Chen, whose face was now filled with dismay, came from Yeon Jaki, who was also from the Night School.

“Long time no see. Everyone thought you were dead.”

“…Yeon Jaki? What are you doing here?”

Soon, after hearing various things from Yeon Jaki, Xiao Chen let out a deep sigh, dispersed her Spiritual Power, and effectively declared surrender.

“It seems the situation has gotten more tangled than I thought. Fine. It’s annoying, but I’ll cooperate for now.”

With that, we had overcome the immediate crisis. Feeling the tension ease, I shook out my hands and straightened my posture.

Xiao Chen then spoke to me with an oddly awkward expression.

“…Uh, if you have any to spare, could you give me some food and water?”

“I’ll do that.”

Even at a glance, her condition was terrible, so it wasn’t strange for such a request to come first.

Sensing that this trial would be a rather arduous struggle, we soon moved from the third floor.

First, it was time to hear the story from the one with experience.

After a brief exploration, we managed to find a study-like space where several of us could rest.

According to Xiao Chen, it seemed safe to use it without major issues.

And there, she began her story indifferently.

“From what I hear, it seems you’ve solved all the secrets of the upper floors…”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“I didn’t. I couldn’t find the answer at all, so I just used a different method. That’s why I’m trapped here like this now.”

Xiao Chen is a master of Barrier Technique.

And back when she was in the Black Forest, she had also been interested in the witch’s Great Barrier and had continued to research it.

“Simply put, I tampered with the fundamental parts of this labyrinth to force a path open.”

However, naturally, that wasn’t allowed, and as a result, Xiao Chen was given one very significant penalty.

“I don’t know how it was originally set up, but these things don’t react to me at all.”

Clearly, one had to overcome some kind of trial to proceed to the next stage, but Xiao Chen no longer had the qualification to do so.

In the end, she was trapped here, unable to go anywhere, consuming supplies and mental energy.

‘She couldn’t pass the trial of the sun.’

Indeed, there were plenty of traces suggesting she had passed the trials up to that point, but the fourth space was intact.

It seemed likely that at that point, she had given up on the orthodox method and aimed for a gap in the Barrier.

Upon hearing this, Yeon Jaki tilted her head and uttered cold words.

“Ultimately, she doesn’t seem like she’ll be of much help. Wouldn’t it be fine to deal with her here?”

At that, Xiao Chen, who had once been her comrade, looked at her incredulously, and the other party members also gauged the atmosphere, preparing for any unforeseen situation.

But I quickly shook my head.

“No. Given her high-level knowledge of this Barrier, she certainly has value in joining us. Moreover, the penalty she bears might even be helpful for the conquest.”

According to Xiao Chen, the mechanisms hidden in this mansion show no reaction to her.

It might be possible, but if we reverse that, there must be a way to utilize it.

“…Well, if that’s the case, then I suppose there’s no choice.”

Yeon Jaki turned her head away, looking somewhat disappointed. She probably thought it would be cleaner to deal with Xiao Chen here, given the possibility of her returning to Luke.

From the perspective of someone who had effectively become a traitor, it was a natural thought.

Xiao Chen, perhaps sensing that sentiment, sighed and continued.

“Still as coldly rational as ever. Don’t worry. I have no intention of going back to Luke now, either.”

That was a somewhat surprising statement.

Most of the Night School members were those who shared Luke’s cause; it was unlikely they would abandon it so easily.

“Hmph. I have my own way. It seems Luke’s plan isn’t going as smoothly as expected either… There’s no need to be fixated on one place.”

Come to think of it, Xiao Chen was the first to retire after the Night School’s Headquarters raid, so her true nature wasn’t clearly revealed.

Given that, it wasn’t entirely impossible for her to take a different path from Luke.

“Then I’ll continue.”

Anyway, now that our respective positions were roughly sorted out, Xiao Chen began to talk about the mansion again.

“When night falls, things of unknown identity roam this mansion.”

“…Ghosts?”

“Image-wise, they’re similar. Of course, they ignored me as if I were invisible, but…”

We didn’t know how they would react to us. Even without her finishing the sentence, everyone understood the implication.

“Looking around the mansion, there are three places that felt suspicious.”

The banquet hall on the 1st floor, the large drawing room on the 2nd floor, and the unopenable door in the corner of the 3rd-floor corridor.

In the end, the places we needed to thoroughly search tomorrow morning were all decided.

“First, surviving tonight is the priority, though.”

And so, we each steeled our resolve and rested.

From now on, a very long, long night would unfold.

‘…This is truly absurd.’

At a time when complete night had not yet fully fallen, Xiao Chen walked along the second-floor corridor, lost in deep thought.

Originally, Xiao Chen had planned to make Han Kangyoon kneel, take his supplies, use him for the labyrinth conquest, and then dispose of him if he had no more companions.

However, the reason she changed that plan wasn’t solely because of Yeon Jaki’s presence.

‘Clearly, when we met in that forest, he was nothing special…’

Of course, even back then, Han Kangyoon had shown sense and skill beyond his years.

But it wasn’t enough to work on Xiao Chen.

‘If it weren’t for that damn stone, it would have been settled long ago.’

However, the moment she encountered Han Kangyoon here again, Xiao Chen couldn’t help but feel flustered on one hand.

‘He’s on a completely different level than back then.’

It was hard to find any openings, and even if a fierce battle ensued, it didn’t seem like the outcome would be decided quickly.

Moreover, what truly unsettled Xiao Chen was the conclusion her own instincts reached in that brief moment.

‘She couldn’t be certain of victory.’

Of course, it was just a sliver of concern, but Xiao Chen definitely felt a thread of possibility of defeat from Han Kangyoon.

Considering that less than a year had passed since the duel in the Black Forest, it was a terrifying rate of growth.

‘……’

Xiao Chen had a goal. It had points in common with the goal of Luke, the Leader of the Night School, but it was a stretch to say they completely aligned.

‘Looking at the situation, that guy will continue to oppose the Night School.’

Unlike Luke, Xiao Chen’s goal wasn’t something that gained meaning even if achieved through Undeath.

That’s why Xiao Chen felt an inexplicably strong intuition there.

If she continued to oppose Han Kangyoon from the Night School’s side, she couldn’t even be sure of her own safety.

‘Luke, that guy is also an unbelievable monster, but…’

Now, she had to remember this as well.

Just as the young genius Luke toppled the giants who ruled the world and rose to his current position, there was no guarantee that she herself wouldn’t now stand in the same position.

“……”

And in Xiao Chen’s eyes, Han Kangyoon was someone fully capable of that.