Chapter 112: Cultist Nymph and Pluto's Underground Labyrinth (10)

༺ Cultist Nymph and Pluto's Underground Labyrinth (10) ༻

Each role assigned to a member of the party was just as important as the other.

First, there was me in the front row, acting as the vanguard. Since we didn't know what would come charging at us inside the labyrinth, as the one with the largest build in our group, it was my role to be the first line of defense.

Right behind me was Luna, who was holding the totem made from the night canary in her hand. This formation was made in the hopes that when Luna detected a threat using her warning device, I could respond immediately.

And then behind Luna, in the center of this formation, stood the core member of this labyrinth conquest, the ice mage— Velmina.

As a mage, she became vulnerable whenever she focused on casting spells. So, I positioned her in the center so that she can be protected from the front and the back simultaneously.

Just behind her, there was Paranoy, who was seemingly useless in acting as her guard. However, if everyone else failed to protect her from the enemies, she could serve as a final shield for the mage, even if it meant using her own body in the process.

On the other hand, considering that she was initially a cultist from Pluto's temple, it seemed wise to place her next to the powerful mage to prevent her from doing anything reckless.

And finally, behind Paranoy and slotted in the very last position, stood Didier, the dwarven warrior wielding the double-edged axe who was tasked with protecting the rear.

Other than Luna and Paranoy, who seemed uneasy about entering the labyrinth, the combination of two warriors guarding the front and rear with one mage in the middle, formed a relatively stable formation.

"Just follow the plan. If you notice anything suspicious, don't try anything and report it to me immediately."

"Understood. Whooo, this is quite nerve-wracking. I feel reassured with you as the party leader. You are so reliable, bro."

Huft—

After letting out a small sigh, I slowly moved my legs toward the gaping entrance that resembled an entrance to hell.

Step— Step—

As I entered the labyrinth corridor from the field of reeds, a strange chill, as if something was licking my face, sent shivers down my spine.

It truly felt like I had entered a different world just now. The desire to turn around and leave immediately grew stronger than ever before after looking at the dark and gloomy interior of this corridor.

"Huft... It is so suffocating. To be honest, I don't want to go inside any further. I would rather confront the bunch of bandits we encountered yesterday again."

Didier, who had bravely fought the ragtag gathering of bandits, now seemed frightened as he swallowed his breath hard in nervousness. In fact, it was not surprising for someone entering the labyrinth for the first time to show such a reaction.

"This is the magical power of hell that's leaking from the depths of the abyss... It feels like I've experienced something similar somewhere before. It's so chilling yet it has a distinctly different sensation from ice."

Did Velmina, the mage, feel something different from our surroundings?

"Miss Nymph, as a cultist, you must know a lot about the underground labyrinths, right? What are your thoughts on this labyrinth of Acheron?"

"I-I don't know... The privilege to enter the labyrinth is only granted to priests of silver rank and above... This is also my first time venturing into a labyrinth..."

Holy shit. This was also Paranoy's first experience.

In comparison with Schizo and Somnia, Paranoy seemed to be more akin to a kid playing pretend as a cultist.

While everyone else sank into the gloominess of the surrounding atmosphere, standing in the middle of the formation, Luna was the only one strangely excited about it all.

"It's dark and damp, I love it. It reminds me of Lady Knox...! There were many caves like this in Ideope. It brings back some memories."

Was it because she was the daughter of the Goddess of Night that she didn't feel any particular intimidation when being in this dark place?

According to the encyclopedia, Knox, the Primordial Goddess of Night, resided at the bottom of the labyrinth— the realms of Tartarus, which was called the hell of this world.

Perhaps for Luna, this labyrinth exploration task could be a way back to her mother's home. With that thought in mind, I could vaguely understand why Luna wasn't scared after entering the labyrinth.

"Then we will go deeper inside. Be careful not to let the torches go out if possible."

Since Luna seemed to be doing well, I felt relieved and had nothing to worry about anymore.

* * * * * * * * * *

Contrary to our initial fear, the labyrinth exploration went on smoothly and we didn't encounter any cruel or terrifying traps.

No matter how far we went, the only things greeting us were scattered old jars.

"Hassan, there are so many jars!"

Clang—!

Luna swung her Silence Totem and continuously smashed the jars. From inside those jars emerged creatures resembling demonic monsters with hard shells.

Squeak— Squeeeeak—!

It was the sound of the creatures living inside this labyrinth. They made those jars and abandoned boxes their home.

Squeeeak— Squeak— Squeeeeak—!

Mimics, the hermit crab-like entities, lunged at us while carrying a jar on their backs. They were around the size of large dogs, so they were quite powerful.

"You sneaky bastards!"

Thwack— Thud— Clang—!

Squeak—!

After the striked from my club shattered the shell-esque jars, the mimics were left overturned - with their stomachs facing above - as though they had fainted then and there.

"It's a piece of cake to defeat them. But be careful of their pincers because they hurt when they catch a hold of you with them. They're not a big deal as long as you watch out for the pincers, so don't be too scared."

"I was slightly scared before. But it doesn't seem to be all that difficult if we can handle them like this. Mimics are expensive ingredients that are used to make fancy dishes, but we're getting them for free in a place like this."

Didier, the dwarven chef, skillfully sliced the bodies of the mimics and packed them into his bag.

"These are ancient primitive hieroglyphs... Maybe there are clues about the use of hell magic encrypted in them. I should write them down and report my findings to the academic community..."

And then even Velmina got distracted by something and started writing down the carvings, either letters or bizarre drawings, on the walls in her notebook.

The member of this exploration quest quickly adapted to the atmosphere of the labyrinth to the point where their previous fears now felt like a comedic afterthought.

After all, this labyrinth was only evaluated to be of low-difficulty— barely reaching the bronze rank.

Moreover, this party consisted of promising bronze-tier adventurers gathered from the best of the best candidates from the guild, so it was natural for things to be resolved easily in this fashion.

Squeak— Squeak—!

The monsters that appeared inside the nightmarish structure were nothing more than pathetic mimics. Mimics were such shitty and worthless creatures that I could have subdued them with my bare hands, even when I was still a slave.

They were the type of creatures that could be easily overturned and knocked out with just the slightest bit of shock. If you knew how to deal with them, even elementary school students could defeat them easily.

"It's too easy."

Even though the difficulty had already increased with five members entering together, it was still so easy. I was feeling slight disappointment at that fact.

Although it was good if the difficulty level was easy and the job could be finished quickly, the quality of the rewards would also decrease accordingly.

No matter how much I rummaged through this low difficulty labyrinth, instead of rare artifacts, I might end up only carrying a bunch of junk and the corpses of mimics.

Was this the end?

While I was feeling a slight sense of boredom—

"Um, Mr. Hassan. Before it's too late, can we go back outside...?"

Only Paranoy was still trembling among us, seemingly unable to adapt to the dreariness of the labyrinth.

Did she dislike dark and enclosed spaces? When I touched Paranoy's wrist back then, she didn't seem to have claustrophobia or any types of fear for enclosed spaces though.

"I-I've heard of it some time ago. In the depths of the labyrinth in the planes of Acheron. under the supervision of the priestess of the cult, sorcerer Koma, there was said to be a-a terrifying monster... I can sense Koma's magical powers from this place. I am certain that this should be the labyrinth that was mentioned!"

At the mention of the cult priestess, sorceress Koma, I felt the weight of the necklace hanging around my neck growing heavier all of a sudden.

This artifact necklace was originally worn by the deceased priestess of the cult from this underground labyrinth. I had forgotten, but I think the priestess' name was most likely Koma.

"K-Koma is the most skilled necromancer among the cultists that I know of. Even if no one knows what she's been hiding underground for all these years, it's sure to be something abnormal!"

Paranoy looked somewhat mental while mentioning this news. She seemed as though she wanted to run towards the exit right away if she could do so. Her body was constantly trembling in agitation and anxiety.

However, we were already deep inside the labyrinth by now. It would take at least an hour to return even if we decided to backtrack to the exit immediately.

So, I was about to ask for the opinions of the others when something unexpected happened.

Chirp— Chirp— Chirp—

From the cage in Luna's hand, the night canary that had been quietly dozing off for a while now began to chirp like a malfunctioning radio out of the blue.

"W-Why is it chirping so frantically? It didn't chirp even when there were mimics. I thought that it was broken or something."

Luna looked into the cage, puzzled. Soon, her emerald-hued eyes widened into saucers.

"M-Monster...! There's a monster coming our way! Hassan!"

A monster is coming. Goblin? Skeleton? Anything is fine. Our party is in top condition right now!

"Damn! Only now it does it feel like a labyrinth. Everyone, prepare yourselves! We don't know where it will come from!"

With determination lacing my voice, I soon realized that something massive was lurking in the dark region of where we were about to proceed moments ago.

Drrrrk— Drrrrk—

I thought it was Koma. But, no. Who is this? Unfamiliar. A dwarf, a nymph, a mage, and two peculiar sets of karma...

The figure that appeared, along with the sound cleaning iron, was humongous, to say the least. Just its presence alone made the wide corridor of the labyrinth suddenly feel so suffocating.

We were all so overwhelmed by its towering presence that we even forgot to speak.

Its muscular, bulging body was adorned with black furs, and its steel-like hands consisted of four thick and large fingers.

Drrrrk—

Sparks flew at the tip of the long spear-like weapon it held in its hands as a large double-edged axe scraped against the murky floors of the labyrinth. It was probably some sort of halberd.

The monster's lower body was supported by sturdy legs and massive hooves, resembling a thick pillar.

At first glance alone, this massive creature was undeniably a horrifying monster.

Luna spoke a word as she looked at that creature.

"B-Black fur... Hassan, i-is that creature also a Samaritan? Maybe we can solve it by having a conversation with it? Like a talk between fellow Samaritans!"

Luna seemed to think that the creature, with its imposing black fur, was a Samaritan like me. What did a Samaritan actually look like in Luna's mind?

But no matter how I looked at it, that creature was more like a beast than a human. Samaritans might be barbaric, but even they weren't that savage!

Above all, there was an empty region above its shoulders. There was no head there! It was a headless moving monster!

"Oh, damn it! It's a headless Minotaur! Party leader bro, we must run! Now!!"

At those words, the sound of a bull seemed to emerge from the monster's sides— a decapitated head, dangling on its sides, was opening its mouth with a grin.

You can't escape. You are going straight into Tartarus through my stomach. That is my duty.

Drrrrk— Drrrrrk—!

Thump— Clang— Thump— Clang— Thump— Clang—

The axe scraping against the ground began to emit countless sparks and as the monster was charging towards us with an even faster speed.

Facing the giant's massive presence that filled the corridor, I couldn't help but feel like a suicidal person who had jumped onto a train track.

"Ice Wall!"

At that very moment, an ice pillar emerged in the suffocating corridor.

It instantly blocked the path between us and the monster.

"Q-Quick, let's run! Minos' bull is not an opponent we can defeat!"

Woooooah—!!

The roar of the black-furred headless giant echoed from behind the ice barrier. It was a simple roar but it felt like the entire labyrinth was trembling due to the vibrations it created in its wake. It also sent shivers of horror down my spine.

Crackle— Crackling—

As the creature swung the axe, the sturdy formation of crystalized ice already began to show signs of cracking.

"Hurry! I can't keep my magic going for much longer! It will take quite a long time for me to prepare for the the next invocation..."

Before the mage could finish speaking, in a voice tinged with fright—

Snap —

The magically created formation of ice shattered into pieces.

A mage, huh? A mage's heart is very nutritious. I'll eat you first.

"Oh, damn it! If we try to escape now we will surely be caught! Party leader bro, let's fight it!"

Didier raised his axe high up into the air, assuming a stance in front of the headless giant of a monster. The monstrous bull let out a deep, guttural sound in response to his provocation.

A dwarf, huh? Dwarves don't taste that great, so I don't like them much. But I can smell something delicious from you. Do you have some special sauce with you?

"Seems like you, bastard monster, have a knack for cooking, huh? Do you think Didier, son of Troggzor, will be eaten by the likes of you?"

Seeing the overflowing vitality, that thing must be good for the body. Didier, son of Troggzor. I am Asterius, the Cretan Bull, the Guardian of the Task.

"Go to hell, you little calf! You have such a huge build! There must be a lot of beef in you!"

The name's Asterius. Huft. Well, fine.

Step— Step—

Didier, kicking the ground hard, jumped into the air while moving his arms to drive the double headed axe into the giant monster's massive torso.

Whoom—

And just before that sharp piece of metal could touch the bull's vunerable-looking shoulder.

Clang—!

The bull's pillar-like fist struck Didier's small body in a flash, sending him crashing into the side wall of the corridor.

"Keu— ugh!"

Three points. Now I can see that you are only one-legged. So, you are out of balance. If the rest of this group has a similar level to you, it will be slightly disappointing.

Crash— .

The headless bull stuck its halberd into the ground and then pointed at me with the hand that wasn't holding its head.

Hey, you there, big human. Yes, you. I'm pleased to see the black fur growing on your head. But the quality of the fur isn't that great. 2 points. It's a rare and beautiful black fur, so you should treasure it with your all.

Damn! This bastard was brutally honest with its evaluation.

But it was fortunate that its attention was directed at me, not the frail women behind.

"Luna, for now, run away through the path we used to reach this place with the others."

"B-But Hassan, that monster looks really strong!"

"I'll buy some time, so take the others and run!"

"B-But Hassan—!"

"Miss Luna, when someone says they will buy you some time, just run away quickly! We'll all die if you keep going on like this!"

The cool-headed ice mage, Velmina grabbed Luna's shoulder and dragged her away from here. If the monster had attacked during that time, it would have led to a tragedy.

The massive monster surprisingly only watched the scene with a calm gaze.

It was worth giving you guys some time to see what you would do. It was quite a moving scene but too cliché to my tastes, like the average melodrama. 3 points.

"Thanks for the evaluation, you headless bastard."

I tightened my grip on the club in my hand as I spoke out those words of insult. At the same time, my eyes turned to the dwarven warrior, Didier, who was groaning under the bull-like monster's feet.

In the labyrinth exploration, when someone died, it ultimately became the fault of the party leader. As someone who was destined to become a gold-tier adventurer, I couldn't afford to have my points deducted in a place like this!

However, Didier seemed to have suffered significant injuries to his internal organs and bones, seeing that he was leaking blood from his mouth and showed no signs of movement whatsoever.

Are you concerned about your fallen comrade? Don't worry. I won't do anything despicable, like using him as a hostage. Even without that, I'm still far stronger than you.

Shit, this headless bull's ability to grasp the situation was too damn fast.

Its headless shape was a bit bizarre, but one thing was clear— this creature in front of me was an incredibly strong warrior, just as it claimed to be.

Judging by how my legs were trembling at the mere sight of its massive frame, it must be on a similar level to Hippolyte and Schizo.

If this creature, with its massive build, were to come at me, how long could I hold out? No, I couldn't win if I only thought about running away.

I needed to figure out a way to bring it down.

Should I hide my body in a corner where its eyes couldn't see me and then use the Night's Cloak to launch a surprise attack? But if I run away right now, what would happen to Didier who was lying there...?

While I was pondering that for a while...

I finally understand.

The decapitated head in its hand slowly opened its mouth.

Since you blended in with the pink-haired woman's karma, I didn't realize it at first, but now I understand. You're the child of Knox. The karma you have feels the same as the one of that lowly punk— Theseus.

"I'm the child of Knox? You're wrong, you idiot! Zero point for you, bastard!"

That bastard of a bull laughed at me with a deep voice.

Huahahaha, trying to lie to me? But my eyes can't be deceived. Night and Darkness gave birth to a child who would steal the vacant throne of the lands below. It seems that they have hidden it away in the lands above, away from the competition...!