TM-Chapter 51

Monument

The labyrinth is too easy.

How can this be!

Is this really my story?

The symbol of misfortune who got kidnapped into a game while playing it, the icon of unfairness, the victim of a ruined game, me, who has always walked on thin ice under the threat of death both inside and outside the labyrinth – my labyrinth exploration is this easy?

‘This is really almost like an idle RPG.’

Torch Helmet and Steel Parasol, flame enchanted dagger and Sharp Eyes, Sound Mapping, and Magic Touch Bow.

With such equipment and skills well organized, the 3rd floor is too easy!

“Catch them all!”

“It’s money, money!”

“Deploy the parasol!”

“I hear some sound over there again!”

“Let’s go!”

“Hurry up, brother!”

“······.”

Our party, doped with greed for money, has already collected an enormous amount of magic stones and items.

And on the evening of the third day in the labyrinth.

We climbed a small mountain about 500 meters above sea level, and on the flat plateau at its summit, we achieved another important harvest.

“It’s a Monument.”

My real purpose for entering the 3rd floor of the labyrinth.

I found a Monument at the mountain summit.

[Monument of Large-Scale Evil Extermination]

The Monument with this name carved on it was an impressive 10 meters tall, 4 meters wide, and about as thick as my height.

I could feel its majestic intimidating presence.

“Should we camp here tonight?”

Though the sun was still visible between the snowfield bushes and ice walls, I suggested taking a slightly early rest.

I need to decode the Monument.

However······.

‘The Monument is so big that my neck will break from looking up at it.’

I should make use of the practical magic in my ring at times like this.

“Transcription.”

I tore out a page from my notebook and copied the Monument’s message.

The text string from the Monument was copied to the notebook paper with sparkling magic.

As cleanly as if it were printed.

{PIC:}

“What a strange message indeed.”

Yernil said while boiling soup in the pot.

“And there are three strange boxes too, brother.”

Backstab said while grilling bacon, pointing below the Monument.

There really were three boxes placed there. The stone boxes were connected to the Monument’s base and couldn’t be removed.

The boxes are also part of the Monument.

“It’s like a message transmission game.”

Yernil said.

“From here it’s success, maintain, failure! Right? Heheh.”

You’re even making jokes in the labyrinth now.

“What kind of game is that?”

Backstab asked.

“It’s a game I played with Caleb when we went to the Berten mansion party.”

Yernil briefly explained the game.

Including the fact that I had bet two pieces of magic equipment on it.

“Wow, brother’s guts are insane. When this labyrinth expedition ends, want to go to the Soren back-alley gambling den with me?”

“No thanks. That game at the Berten mansion, I had complete confidence I would win.”

“Really?”

Yernil asked in surprise.

Of course, really.

No matter how well the professors do, if you eliminate all level differences and magic book grade differences and fight purely tactically, you’ll win.

And I had one hidden card.

Even if disruption caused me all sorts of bad luck and things went to the worst case scenario, I wouldn’t lose. Because······.

“There was a way to guarantee great success.”

“Huh?”

“How is that possible?”

Yernil and Backstab asked with their mouths agape.

“Yes. But well, it’s not relevant now.”

I crossed my arms and focused on decoding the cipher again.

“······.”

The two of them read my mood and returned to cooking without disturbing me.

“But Caleb. Didn’t you say this was an already interpreted Monument?”

Aimus asked.

“That’s right.”

Professor Dalstream interpreted it.

I also read his paper before coming. It roughly contained the following:

1.The Silver Dagger Alliance refers to the Labyrinth Master’s minions, meaning the monsters that appear in the deep layers.

2.Meals and songs within the labyrinth refer to labyrinth adventure itself. Meals are rest and camping like we’re doing now, and songs are incantations.

So it means the Silver Dagger Alliance forbids resting and fighting while exploring the labyrinth.

Why?

To prevent people from descending to the deep layers.

3.The Monument talks about otherworld possessors. If they descend to the deep layers and defeat the Labyrinth Master, their grudges will be resolved.

4.Then the otherworld possessor will throw away their false body as a sacrifice, and their soul will ascend to return to their original world.

…..That was roughly Dalstream’s interpretation.

“But the cipher hasn’t been decoded.”

All Monuments are basically composed of metaphors, and if you interpret them appropriately, you can obtain information about the labyrinth.

Like Professor Dalstream did.

But cipher decoding is a different story.

“Probably if you put something in those boxes, it will be decoded. The Monument will change and present new information.”

That’s why I came here.

Dalstream’s interpretation serves as the basis for Izel’s current attempt to descend to the labyrinth’s deep layers. And the Enver Club shares a similar view to some extent.

Although concepts like grudges and sacrifices were interpreted according to Dalstream’s taste, they still accept that if you defeat the Labyrinth Master, something happens to the false body.

Why? Because in the game too, the game ended when you killed the Labyrinth Master.

‘But if we move to cipher decoding, different content might emerge.’

I need to confirm that in advance. Before contacting the Enver Club or Black Dog.

The problem is I don’t know what to put in the boxes.

I’ve encountered countless Monuments in the game, but this is my first time seeing this one.

This must be a Monument that first appeared in Developer difficulty. So I need to solve it for the first time now.

Should I put in a silver dagger?

Or should I, the false body, directly….. Hmm…. Probably not.

These kinds of ciphers are usually about finding hidden words.

For example, reading vertically.

‘Silver-meal-prohibition-grudge-false-quality.’

Not at all.

Then reading diagonally?

‘Silver-grudge-that-four-alliance-face. Dagger-grudge-you-if-body-throw. Meal-song-will-deep-away-palace.‘

Not at all.

Then reading only letters at multiples of 2?

“Caleb! Come eat!”

Yernil shouted while ladling soup into individual bowls.

Let’s eat first.

***

The two in charge of cooking decided to sleep first.

Aimus and I are on night watch now.

I was still focused on decoding the cipher when…..

“Caleb.”

Aimus lightly poked my shoulder, drawing my attention.

“Someone’s coming.”

It was a demi-human with green skin, just over 1 meter tall. It had a beak in its mouth and a shell on its back.

‘A Gatpa tribe member.’

Probably the most unique race among the demi-humans that appear in the Abyss of the Labyrinth.

And behind the Gatpa tribe member, a tall East Asian swordsman also appeared.

“Hijikata.”

“Hello, Caleb.”

Hijikata greeted us from a distance.

And as he gradually approached the campfire, one more person appeared behind Hijikata.

‘Yoho tribe!’

One with three tails – a skilled practitioner.

She wagged her tails swish swish and waved her hand at me.

“Hello?”

“Hello.”

I now understood why Hijikata’s party was interested in the Soul Sanctuary but didn’t consult me about finding a refuge.

It was because of the Yoho tribe member.

They’re usually hard to see in Soren because they normally live near Windham, but who would have thought one was in Hijikata’s party.

Yoho tribe members have soul tracking as a racial trait. Just like canine beastmen have scent tracking and feline beastmen have ‘night vision’.

They’re probably trying to find the Soul Sanctuary using soul tracking.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you’re an incredible wizard?”

The Yoho woman showed interest in me and approached from the side.

“I’m not that impressive.”

“I don’t know about your skills, but you have a cute face.”

Her eyes sparkled with firelight as she stared up at me.

“I wonder if your liver is pretty and cute too?”

She lightly caressed my side with her finger.

“Stop teasing.”

“You’re not scared? In Soren there are many people who fear that Yoho tribe members steal livers.”

“There were people who feared me because I killed a Yoho tribe member.”

“Oh.”

“You got hit, Soyul.”

Hijikata chuckled and approached from the side.

“Caleb. You’re studying the 3rd floor Monument?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve seen many adventurers research Monuments on the 3rd floor, but none could decode the cipher. Not even the great wizard Professor Dalstream.”

Hijikata said, pointing at the Monument.

“If you succeed in decoding it, the Adventurer Guild will probably give you a reward too.”

“Maybe Caleb can do it.”

Soyul smiled with her eyes.

Then the Gatpa who had been quietly listening also chimed in. Flapping his gills.

“He even caught a 4th floor wizard. Papa papa!”

Wait a minute.

***

I could tell there had been a clash. Based on the message transmissions exchanged.

But Antonelli could have escaped. He actually tried to use a stair scroll.

But they’re saying ‘caught‘.

That means…..

“Did you see that wizard’s corpse?”

“Yes.”

“When did you see it?”

“This morning.”

“The corpse was completely intact there?”

“Yes. Corpses don’t decay easily on the 3rd floor of the labyrinth.”

No……

What nonsense is this swordsman spouting?

“Hijikata. There’s no way the wolves didn’t devour the corpse. It’s been three whole days!”

“Probably because Caleb’s party swept away the nearby Frost Hunters and wolves as they continued. That’s why.”

Hijikata answered.

“When there are lots of monster corpses, other monsters smell the blood and avoid the area. They don’t come near.”

So that’s what you think.

You don’t know, do you?

You don’t know because you’ve only been taking elevators since first coming down to the 3rd floor!

“Frost Hunters are smart, so they frequently patrol near stair gates.”

What Hijikata just said is usually correct. For normal fields.

But it’s different in front of stair gates.

2nd floor adventurers come down there, so from the Frost Hunters’ perspective, it’s the most tender and sweet prey.

They need to eat adventurers too, so from their perspective, would they target Hijikata or Virtanen?

Whether there are monster corpses nearby or not. They periodically visit in front of 2nd floor stair gates.

That’s a hotspot for Frost Hunters and wolves.

“And if there’s an adventurer’s corpse there, they’d naturally feed it to the wolves. After three days, there shouldn’t be a corpse left!”

“Then….Then….?”

Finally Hijikata fell into confusion too.

The Yoho tribe shaman and Gatpa also looked flustered.

“Then why was the corpse still there?”

I don’t know either!

But one thing is certain.

Something’s wrong.

Shit something’s seriously fucked up right now.

By now, that corpse should have been completely devoured by wolves, with even the bones chewed up like candy.

‘Why was the corpse still in that spot intact?’

I’ve felt this shitty feeling before.

It was when Yernil and I were wandering the labyrinth for the first time and found the second exit room.

Back then too, I couldn’t understand the sight of only Black Hornet larvae left in front of the exit room.

The answer to that was exit boss Backstab.

This absurd phenomenon that’s appeared now must have some shocking reason too.

In what cases would Frost Hunters and wolves patrolling near stair gates not touch that corpse?

1.If someone continuously protected that corpse.

2.If they thought it wasn’t a corpse.

Is case 1 possible?

For example, Antonelli’s main force on the 4th floor came up, found that corpse, and lurked nearby searching and waiting?

No.

Not possible.

Because the note Hijikata sent me was still left in that spot.

If Antonelli’s comrades had come and seen that scene, they would have made a fuss when Hijikata’s party arrived there.

Other parties besides the 4th floor main force would be even less likely.

What kind of lunatics would camp for three days next to another party’s wizard’s corpse?

Then case 2.

Does this make sense?

It’s a corpse with its head chopped off by Virtanen’s axe?

After seeing that directly, would there be Frost Hunters thinking, ‘Hmm, that might not be a corpse’?.

Would there be wolf pups thinking, ‘It might not be a corpse so I shouldn’t eat it!’?

This is…..

‘This makes sense.’

Ah.

I’m really fucked. Shit.

No wonder everything has been going too smoothly.

Am I being punished for running an auto-hunt? This is driving me crazy.

“Caleb, what’s wrong?”

Aimus asked, seeing my face turn pale in real time.

“This is big trouble. This wasn’t the time to camp here and interpret Monuments.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems…… Antonelli’s soul entered the 3.5 floor Soul Sanctuary.”

No one understood.

“What….?”

Hijikata’s eyes narrowed.

The Yoho tribe shaman and Gatpa were the same.

“Antonelli became an exit boss before dying.”

One of the labyrinth’s rules.

When an adventurer becomes an exit boss after being consumed by the Labyrinth Master’s madness.

What kind of person is that adventurer?

The most powerful adventurer on that floor.

For example, a 4th floor adventurer operating on the 3rd floor.

This is the only possible interpretation of this situation. Antonelli was consumed by madness just before death.

Then I need to check the remaining time.

The remaining time until it’s no longer a corpse.

“Hijikata. Did you notice anything strange about that 4th floor wizard’s head? Like the severed neck area reattaching itself squirm squirm like an undead?”

“What…..?”

Hijikata’s face turned white.

“The head was….. Severed…..?”