Chapter 96

Whoosh.

Thud!

“Ugh…”

“Are you okay?”

“Phew. Yeah. I’m not hurt. Where is this?”

Han Seoa brushed the dust off her body and asked a question, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer it.

Honestly, it was truly an unexpected situation.

‘…Why is this in Sahwanje’s Nest?’

The thing that had just swallowed us whole was absolutely not something that should be popping out at this point in time.

And for good reason, this dimensional rift…

‘Is the entrance to the Eternal Labyrinth, which first appears in Series 4.’

However, no matter how much I thought about it, it was definitely the dimensional rift I knew.

Meaning, there was a high probability this place was inside that Eternal Labyrinth.

“Oppa… Something feels strange. I’ve never been to a place like this.”

Of course.

This Eternal Labyrinth was a death maze, completely severed from the mortal world due to an ancient Grand Art.

In fact, my connection with Kongsami, left behind in Sahwanje’s Nest, had already been completely cut off.

Someone with a sensitive Spiritual Sense would be able to feel its peculiarity with their entire body.

‘This is a big problem.’

Why there was a passage leading to the Eternal Labyrinth there is no longer the issue. Frankly, it didn’t make sense, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t an impossible thing.

The important thing was the fact itself that the two of us were now trapped inside.

‘First, I need to figure out which part of the labyrinth this corresponds to.’

The Eternal Labyrinth is composed of four zones in total.

The Blind Mountain Range in the east.

The Sea of Sand in the west.

The Maze of Guilt in the south.

The Black Forest in the north.

And all of them are split apart and separated; even if they broke off from the same Eternal Labyrinth, they are in a state of complete isolation from each other.

The four mazes occasionally open an entrance somewhere in this world, drawing humans nearby inside.

‘The sudden disappearance of a High-Ranking Exorcist that sometimes became a hot topic, ghost ships, planes whose pilots vanished… mysteries like those are also related to this place.’

Naturally, the method of escape differs depending on which zone of the labyrinth it is.

And if, by chance, this is the Blind Mountain Range in the east, considered the worst among them…

‘…This really could become my grave.’

The frightening aspect of the Eternal Labyrinth lay in its peculiarity of being severed from the mortal world.

In the end, only two outcomes remain for a person trapped in the labyrinth.

Either succeed in escaping, or fail to escape and die here.

‘The problem is, the difficulty is extremely nonsensical.’

The Eternal Labyrinth is first cleared in Series 4, after the main party gets trapped in the labyrinth through a dimensional rift.

Even then, only one of the four zones, the Maze of Guilt in the south, was cleared.

Do you understand what that means?

It meant that until at least that point in time arrived, not a single person had survived and returned to reality from here.

‘The Eternal Labyrinth has no particular rule for drawing in prey.’

It’s just made that way, so it continuously brings in new victims.

In that process, ordinary people with no power at all could be drawn in, or a High-Ranking Exorcist with tremendous skill could be swallowed by a rift and flow into the labyrinth.

But, in the end, until the future when the protagonist of Series 4 arrives, none of them can leave this place.

I am now trapped in such an unreasonable prison.

Since nothing would change by just staying still anyway, I started moving to figure out which zone of the labyrinth this place corresponded to.

‘Looking at the surrounding terrain, could it possibly be the Black Forest in the north?’

We probably haven’t reached the main part of the labyrinth yet, but judging by the sparse black trees and plants visible all around, the possibility seemed high.

‘…Can things really turn out like this?’

If so, it’s a very familiar space for me. At the very least, it was much more manageable compared to the other three places. For a moment, I reminisced about the past while quietly observing the surrounding scenery.

Just as I was inwardly letting out a sigh of relief, Han Seoa spoke up beside me.

“Is this also a space created by that Specter we saw earlier?”

“No, probably not. With its level of power, it wouldn’t be able to create such a vast place.”

“Then who on earth…”

Han Seoa, who had been moving her lips, suddenly stopped speaking. A space slightly different from the scenery she had seen so far had come into view.

And looking at that place, I could confirm that this was indeed the Eternal Labyrinth from my memories.

‘That’s a base point, isn’t it?’

Looking at the space resembling a dilapidated village or the ruins of a fallen nation, Han Seoa immediately spoke up.

“…Oppa, be careful. I sense a presence.”

“Yeah. I just confirmed it too.”

Naturally, we probably aren’t the only ones trapped in this Eternal Labyrinth right now.

Those who were swallowed by the labyrinth’s entrance years, or even decades ago, and have been wandering the eternal space—at least the survivors among them would still be enduring day by day somewhere here.

Perhaps having sensed our presence as well, a man with shaggy hair jumped out from among the ruins and urgently shouted.

“Hey! Unfamiliar folks have arrived! New sacrifices!”

“What?”

The crowd that gathered on the spot consisted of about a dozen people.

Checking the information, only two among them possessed proper combat abilities.

“Damn it, these are complete brats.”

“…Looks bad. They’re the first wanderers we’ve met in a whole year.”

After checking our appearance, they didn’t even bother to hide their disappointment.

That wasn’t strange either.

To somehow get out of this place, they probably thought they needed at least more powerful individuals.

“What do you mean by that? We just fell into this place and don’t have any information.”

In response to Han Seoa’s question, the shaggy-haired man clicked his tongue and sneered.

“Tsk. It means you can’t do anything in this place. You’ll just waste food like livestock that values its own life, no doubt.”

“…Hey, Taekil. Stop it.”

It wasn’t us, but the ordinary people with him who flinched at the words of the man called Taekil.

That alone made it easy to guess the atmosphere here.

‘Everyone’s already exhausted. They can no longer rely on each other.’

Frowning slightly at that reaction, Han Seoa spoke again.

“…I don’t know the circumstances well, but we can manage ourselves wherever we go. Depending on the situation, we might be able to lend you our strength as well.”

However, the response that came back was an unwavering sneer.

This time, the hooded man who had stopped Taekil earlier let out a sigh and answered.

“Hey, miss. Do you know who we are right now?”

“……”

“I was an Executor from Headquarters, and this Choi Taekil next to me was a 2nd-Rank Exorcist who reached a mature level. Even the leader who went out to get food is a 1st-Rank.”

“…Are you saying this is a place even people like you can’t do anything about?”

“Yeah. It’s been 7 years since we were trapped in this damn labyrinth.”

At those words, Han Seoa’s face turned somewhat shocked.

If all of that was true, it meant we had practically stepped into an enormous crisis.

“How can that be…”

“You seem to be starting to grasp the situation now. We think we need at least two more 1st-Rank Exorcists to get out of this place.”

So, they’re just waiting for someone with that level of skill to get caught up in the labyrinth. In summary, that’s what it meant.

I, who had been quietly listening, calmly organized the situation and asked a question.

“Do people newly flowing into this place like us come often?”

“It varies. There have been times when several people arrived at once, and times when we couldn’t see a new face for a long period. This time, it’s been a year.”

In the end, the influx of skilled individuals, the only hope, is also low in probability. That’s why they are this exhausted.

“…Hansu, are you really going to take those brats with you?”

“It’s the leader’s policy. You know that.”

The hooded man, Hansu, answered without hesitation, and at that, Choi Taekil vented his frustration.

“Hey. Let’s be frank. I don’t get it anymore. A sense of responsibility as an Exorcist? Protecting civilians? What’s all that? No one saves us, yet we still have to keep doing this for someone?”

“…Hansu.”

“You’re struggling too. I respect the leader’s will, but this isn’t it. We’ve done enough. Just how many comrades have died so far?”

At Choi Taekil’s outburst, the civilian group just silently bowed their heads deeply, and even the man called Hansu couldn’t answer.

To that, Han Seoa, who had been quietly listening, spoke up again.

“We’re also Exorcist aspirants. We’ll help as much as we can.”

“Ah, damn. A naive young lady who doesn’t know how the world works. That’s what I’m saying has no meaning! Have you ever even caught a Specter with a rank?”

“Yes.”

At Han Seoa’s words, the expressions of the two men changed slightly.

“What did you catch, a D-Rank?”

“C+-Rank. Oppa has caught a B-Rank too.”

“Bullshit, is B-Rank some dog’s name? Got my hopes up for nothing. As if that weak-looking guy could catch that. Tsk.”

Choi Taekil scrunched up his face and spat on the ground. He didn’t believe Han Seoa’s words at all.

Offended by that, Han Seoa immediately continued.

“It’s true. I might be below your standards, but Oppa is already at a level not inferior to active-duty Exorcists. Even if you include those from prestigious families, if I said he has no equal among his peers, would you believe me?”

No, I don’t think my standing is quite that high yet.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by Han Seoa’s overly generous assessment, I felt a slight awkwardness.

“…Ha, better than elites from prestigious families?”

Choi Taekil, who had been observing me for a moment, silently and secretly deployed an Art Formula and sent it flying towards me.

It was an Intermediate-Rank Binding Spell Formula with no lethal power, the Taebaekhwan (State Form Ring).

However, Han Seoa, who had roughly sensed something was off, blocked it one step ahead.

“…Even so, suddenly attacking is crossing the line, I think.”

“What, you blocked that? It was Intermediate-Rank?”

Surprised that the sneak attack was blocked at Han Seoa’s level, not mine, Choi Taekil showed considerable astonishment.

Well, of course.

Even at Cheonghwa Academy, where promising talents from all over the country gather, it’s hard to find a first-year who can skillfully handle an Intermediate-Rank Art Formula.

Moreover, they said they had been trapped in this ‘Black Forest’ for 7 years.

The academy students in their memories were surely very different from now, at least in terms of that level.

Having watched that brief scuffle, the hooded man, Hansu, spoke.

“…So they’re not at a completely unusable level. Taekil, that’s enough for now. It’s almost time for the leader to return.”

“Tsk. Fine.”

And so, for now, we joined them and headed towards the hideout within the ruins.