TM-Chapter 56

< The Labyrinth is Hard to Understand Even When You Know It >

There’s no time.

I must hurry.

I’d like to explain in detail to Yernil’s team too, but even the time to write on a note is precious.

‘I have to match Gildal’s pace.’

That Goblin is already climbing the snowy mountain.

There are three entry routes to the mountain peak. Among them, the path Gildal is climbing is the third entrance.

Route 2 is blocked at the end. The Lich has erected a Femur Barrier there.

So actually, the only usable entry route for us is the first entrance.

Fortunately, the first entrance was originally the path we intended to take. There’s a 3.5 floor staircase there.

“Caleb! Are you okay with running?”

Soyul asked.

Trying to match the pace of Aimus, Mister Backstab, and Hijikata, a wizard who only invested in wisdom is getting out of breath.

After running about 200 meters to the first entrance, I already feel like I’m dying from exhaustion.

But Soyul was also panting just the same. I roughly gave her an okay sign with my hand.

‘Where is Gildal right now?’

I took out a glass bottle from my pocket.

It’s an item I obtained by killing Antonelli and looting his corpse. A magical tool for wizards, ‘Wizard’s Eye’.

I took out the eyeball that was inside and floated it above the third entrance like a drone.

Inside the glass bottle, the scenery observed by the eyeball was being replayed as a small video screen.

Although the sun had set long ago, the Wizard’s Eye has fairly good night vision. I could already see Gildal who had climbed halfway up the third entrance.

“We’re climbing the mountain now too. Hang in there, brother!”

At Mister Backstab’s encouragement, I didn’t even have the strength to answer and just waved my hand weakly.

“Everyone be careful not to slip! It’s dark!”

Aimus said.

Right now Aimus has taken off his Torch Helmet and put it in his bag.

Confusion and cold can be dealt with using Soyul’s magic.

The reason we specifically removed the helmet and switched to Soyul’s magic is because we need to sneak up as quietly as possible.

In this darkness, the torchlight would be too visible.

‘Gildal will climb to the peak and start fighting the Lich.’

We need to target that moment.

If we go too fast and draw aggro, the Lich will send his undead army to us.

Conversely, if we’re too late, Gildal will be caught by Antonelli.

Even if they fight one-on-one, there’s a whole undead army at the mountain peak, isn’t there?

If they fight there, Gildal’s chances of winning are slim.

And if Antonelli succeeds in killing Gildal.

‘He’ll resurrect him as undead.’

That’s the worst-case scenario. Gildal becoming Antonelli’s undead subordinate.

Then our attack on Antonelli itself would become difficult. Maybe even after activating the Monument, we won’t be able to catch Antonelli and things will go terribly wrong.

Now I can see the staircase.

Yernil probably detected our footsteps by now. If we get a little closer, she’ll come out with the Gatpa.

“Shh.”

Aimus gave the party a signal to be quiet.

From here, we need to slow down and be as careful as possible to make less noise.

Though I’m already forced to slow down.

“Huff…… Huff…… Hoooo……”

While regulating my breathing, I walked slowly, muffling my footsteps.

Now I need to check on Gildal’s side.

We moved about 50 more meters and then hid behind the bushes.

“……”

No one even made a breathing sound.

Cold sweat forms in my palms.

If I tilt my head back, I can see monsters swarming at the mountain peak.

’80 meters to the staircase.’

I read the situation again.

‘From the staircase to the position where I first slipped is about 70 meters.’

At this distance, we can get there quickly.

As long as we can reach the slip point with Yernil, that’s enough.

From there to the Monument is about 100 meters away, but since the view opens up straight, we can use the strategy we prepared.

When Gildal starts fighting, that’s the signal. From then we need to move busily to activate the Monument……

‘Huh?’

When I pulled out the glass bottle, I realized something strange was happening.

I had calculated all sorts of worst-case scenarios, but this wasn’t one of them.

“What the……”

Gildal disappeared!

Gildal was nowhere to be seen on third entrance.

‘Caleb……!’

Contrary to the plan, Yernil was already poking her head up from above. She calls me while keeping her voice as low as possible.

Yernil, I told you to come out when I signal!

No.

Wait a minute.

‘Be careful!’

Looking at her lip movements, I was reminded of when we retreated from the mountain.

Back then, Yernil also shouted at me to be careful.

Not to be careful of slipping, but to be careful of the wolf diving at me from the side.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

I hear footsteps from behind.

Aimus and Mister Backstab, their faces pale white, turned around.

So did Hijikata and Soyul.

No way.

‘No way Gildal came here?’

No, this doesn’t make sense.

He was just on the third entrance.

The guy who had aggro on the Lich because of the urn wouldn’t suddenly turn his attention to us, and unless he teleported, how could he suddenly move from Route 3 to Route 1?

This doesn’t make sense……

“Fuck, what the hell is this now?”

It’s not Gildal.

Right. As I just said, there’s no way this could be Gildal.

What came out here wasn’t Gildal, but something as huge as Gildal.

Something much more grotesque-looking.

‘rag zombie.’

The monster broke through the tree bushes with a craaaack, and thrust its head down at us.

“Groooooooo!”

***

An epic monster that the Lich creates when taking control of a specific area and fortifying it, the rag zombie.

It’s a monster-like thing made by stitching together up to 3 corpses like patchwork.

Its strength is tremendous, so caution is needed.

I wasn’t careless.

I had the rag zombie in mind from the beginning.

But this is unexpected.

‘Where did these guys come from?’

Antonelli didn’t kill anyone from our team or Hijikata’s team at the mountain peak.

And since then until now, Antonelli hasn’t left the snowy mountain.

There couldn’t be another crazy adventurer besides us who would deliberately seek out the Monument snowy mountain occupied by a Monster Wave.

So even if a rag zombie appeared, it should be a combination of three frost wolves or three Frost Hunters.

……

Is what I thought.

‘What the fuck are these bastards!’

It was clearly not made from monsters but from three adventurers combined.

A giant Orc Fighter, an Elf Druid, and a feline beastman.

In the dark night, illuminated by moonlight, the monster’s appearance was so grotesque it looked like a creature that jumped out of some horror movie.

The muscular green body was covered with the beastman’s fur. The beastman’s tail was also protruding. Below the orc’s head at the collarbone, the Elf’s and beastman’s heads were embedded.

The smell of blood and stench wafts strongly.

Under the orc’s armpits, the Beastman’s and Elf’s arms were attached.

Kwaaang!

A tree snapped like straw from the axe swung by the three-headed, six-armed monster.

Screeeeech!

And the axe striking down at my head again……

Clang!

Aimus barely blocked it.

“Kugh!”

But he was crushed by the overwhelming force.

Like when you’re doing squats and lower one side of the barbell to the floor because of the weight, the iron bar tilted.

“Haaah!”

Red smoke rose from Hijikata’s body. He entered a berserker state. At the same time, Soyul’s fox orb soared up.

“Ecstasy Fox Fire!”

Flames fall on the monster’s head.

Hijikata’s two-handed sword pierced its chest.

Mister Backstab’s dagger also stuck in the back of its neck.

But……

“Graaaaaaah!”

The rag zombie didn’t budge at all.

The monster shook its body and brushed off Mister Backstab and Hijikata.

And toward Aimus who had just gotten up, it swung its two-handed axe with full force again……

Kwang!

It sent him flying.

“Aimus!”

“Brother!”

Screeech!

Just as the monster’s axe was about to fly at me, I barely managed to cast magic.

“Superconductivity.”

Intense sparks flew, but the level difference was too great, so it wasn’t electrocuted.

Kwang!

Hijikata blocked the unstoppable axe with his two-handed sword and rolled around from the force.

‘It’s a 4th floor party.’

I figured out the identity of this rag zombie.

For our attacks to barely work and for there to be this much difference in strength against Hijikata and Aimus, all three corpses must be 4th-floor or higher adventurers.

Antonelli’s main party came here looking for Antonelli and became a rag zombie.

Really unbelievable.

I had thought that a 4th floor main party might come up. But even if they came, I thought they’d be horrified by the monster wave and go back down.

How could I have predicted that those trash necromancer’s party members would have such incredible loyalty that they’d break through a monster wave to try to rescue Antonelli?

Fuck.

Really, the labyrinth is hard to understand even when you know it.

That selfish bastard who didn’t care even when 3rd floor adventurers were dying and tried to conduct unauthorized experiments – was he sweet within his own party?

“Yernil! Gadozumi!”

The plan went completely wrong from the start.

“Come out now!”

From the mountain peak, monsters pour down like the avalanche I saw earlier. The commotion caused by the rag zombie drew aggro.

“Caleb!”

Yernil runs toward us. Together with the Gatpa.

Behind them, an enormous number of monsters charge in.

“Kik! Kikikik! Kikik!“

Of course, the Lich is with them too.

“So it’s you guys! Thank you! Thanks to you, my necromancy’s ultimate……”

Shut up for a moment.

[It is your turn. Time remaining: 60 seconds]

[Action Points: ■■■■]

***

The best method is as follows.

Jump across the cliff between the first entrance and second entrance.

How?

First, Mister Backstab takes me with Shadow Leap.

Yernil crosses over with Guard Repositioning.

Then Mister Backstab uses Leap Ambush on the rag zombie again to return to this side.

And he uses the Adrenaline Burst special ability to recover Shadow Leap’s cooldown.

Then he takes Aimus with Shadow Leap and moves to the second entrance again.

For Hijikata’s party, the Gatpa takes the Yoho tribe shaman with Shadow Leap.

Then only Hijikata is left.

What about him?

I give Hijikata the Torch Helmet.

Hijikata wears the Torch Helmet and draws monster aggro with the light while running down the mountain.

The reason Hijikata takes this role is because he has the best speed and endurance here.

While monster aggro is drawn to Hijikata, we climb up the second entrance. Aimus breaks the femur barrier and we activate the Monument to annihilate all the monsters.

Then we reunite with Hijikata, kill Antonelli, and escape.

‘But I can’t use this strategy, right?‘

The reason is it’s too complex.

I can’t explain all this in a moment like this when every second counts.

So what do I do?

First……

“Superconductivity.”

Let’s deal with the rag zombie.

“Superconductivity.”

The electrocution didn’t work earlier, but 4-stack is a different story. Electrocution worked on Antonelli too, didn’t it?

“Superconductivity.”

If I electrocute the rag zombie and make it lie down for a moment, that’s enough. Then Mister Backstab will have to suffer a bit.

“Yernil. Take my bag and use Guard Repositioning to cross the cliff. Move to the second entrance.”

After giving instructions to Yernil, I cast the last magic on the rag zombie.

“Superconductivity.”

[All action points have been consumed.]

[Turn ends.]

[The hourglass has been flipped again. Time remaining: 60 seconds]

***

Bang! Kwagwang!

Four lightning bolts burst out at close range, and the monster zombie’s body straightened stiffly.

“Kurrrrrrrrr.”

Making a strange sound from its throat, it dropped its axe with a thud.

“Mister Backstab!”

I took out the Torch Helmet from the bag Aimus had dropped and handed it to Mister Backstab.

“Take this guy to the oil trap!”

No time to explain. Please understand in one go, Mister Backstab.

“……!”

Mister Backstab’s eyes doubled in size.

I knew he wouldn’t hesitate.

He’s someone who even became an exit boss to save Aimus.

Pop!

Mister Backstab took the helmet and used Shadow Leap with the rag zombie to leave the battlefield.

Yernil had already moved to second entrance.

“What do we do now!”

Gadozumi, terrified, joined us.

So all three of Hijikata’s party are together, but our party is actually split up.

“Yernil, stay there and provide covering fire!”

That position is safe. Because second entrance is blocked by the Femur Barrier. Yernil can deal free damage from there.

I……

“Everyone, don’t run away!”

I need to buy time here. It’s possible since the rag zombie is gone.

“We must fight here!”

Not for long. We just need to hold out for a moment.

“Hold out for 10 seconds!”

“Kik! Kikikik! Kikik!“

The Lich comes down the mountain driving an enormous number of monsters.