Episode 689. Labyrinth ‘Border of the Horizon’ (2)
How long has it been since the invaders came in?
The gardener’s face, who had been expecting a cruel scenario, became miserably distorted as time passed.
“What are these?”
It had to be that way.
Because the traps he had prepared were being destroyed helplessly.
Or is it simply that?
If you attack it in a normal way, it won’t be unfair.
Processes marred by expedient methods took a serious toll on the craftsmanship of gardeners.
“This is my first time torturing a plant in my life. No matter how bad they are, I feel a little guilty seeing them suffer…”
Teresa sprinkled holy water made using divine power.
Jinhyeok has made the surrounding air very dry with the ‘original flame’, so the plants are desperate for a drop of moisture.
In the end, I had no choice but to absorb water full of divine power, feeling like I was drinking hydrochloric acid.
“Originally, the feeling of guilt disappears quickly if you do it. See, now you can skillfully control the concentration of the holy water.”
“Hehe. That’s right. I guess I’m getting used to it little by little after doing this too.”
Teresa blushed at Jinhyuk’s praise.
Sweet potatoes and spirit trees were also disturbing the ecosystem by eating leaves.
The gardener pressed his fingers to his throbbing temples.
okay.
That’s still understandable.
But what I couldn’t stand was the man with black hair.
A pale-faced young guy who was called ‘Jinhyeok’ by others was doing something unspeakable.
Grumbling.
Burning Labyrinth.
The garden, which boasted of perfection, turned into a heap of ashes by the minute.
As if that wasn’t enough, people destroy stone statues commemorating ancient beings, build statues that look just like themselves on top of them, take commemorative photos, or urinate in the open in a lake that took a lot of effort to create.
He continued to engage in behaviors that could literally cause cardiovascular disease.
Naturally, traps that had been carefully prepared to counter such behavior were also being activated, but none of them worked.
Ku-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
The pattern is being read perfectly.
Even considering that we are still at the beginning of the labyrinth, this is ridiculous.
In the end, the gardener could no longer bear it and summoned his immediate subordinates.
“Everyone, everyone… gather together now!”
[The three designers answer the gardener’s call.]
Oooh!
Designers of a labyrinth where the space splits and has different appearances.
They were elites selected and selected from among the geniuses who designed the various labyrinth traps that existed throughout the tower.
Among them, the small figure in the middle had greater talent than the others.
“Have you called? Master of the Great Garden.”
Balseter.
A tortured magician in charge of a psychiatric ward.
Although he belonged to the lower levels of the Tower of Trials, he was scouted to the upper levels by designing creative and elaborate traps.
In fact, there was even talk in the industry that if he had been born in the upper class instead of the lower class, he would have designed a much more powerful labyrinth.
“That’s right. Those fearless bastards are daring to come into my garden and wreak havoc. You are destroying all the traps you had confidence in!”
“That can’t be right.”
“It’s a place where even the gods and great heroes couldn’t survive and buried their bones… Hmm. I don’t know if it’s because it’s still the beginning.”
The designers of the labyrinth quickly scanned the intruders’ movements after entering the labyrinth. The purpose was to see the record of how the trap was overcome.
I heard the sound of eyes rolling rapidly.
But just one.
Senior designer Balsetermann was frozen in place for some reason.
Rattling!
A trembling body.
The red swirl pattern drawn on his cheek, his signature, was stained with sweat and slowly trickled down.
“Balseter. Why are you doing this?”
“It looks like people lost interest because they came in so trivially. In fact, people who didn’t have the right personnel or union came in by luck.”
“Well, look over there. It looks like they are somehow able to break through by forcing the ancient species and spirit beasts into their bodies. Tsk tsk.”
The two designers laughed as they watched the haphazard breakthrough.
Each individual’s spec wasn’t bad, but it was only limited to combat.
If you can take full advantage of the well-designed labyrinth, trampling on those guys won’t be that difficult.
“That’s right. I don’t want to see my garden destroyed anymore. You guys go and stop it yourself. Make sure to capture him and that black-haired man alive and bring him to me. I will take care of it myself.”
The gardener inevitably gritted his teeth while looking at Jinhyeok.
I felt like I had to give it alive to the plants and slowly melt it to death for at least 100 years to relieve my anger.
“Don’t worry, gardener.”
“I will do what you want right away. I hope you can enjoy your stay here.”
Impregnable labyrinths that have never been conquered.
Those trapped in their own castle would never know.
What a real monster is.
How does it feel to be cruelly manipulated, have your pride trampled on, and even be denied the meaning of your existence?
I mean, they never know.
“Ugh…!”
Balseter stretched out his hand, but the two designers had already moved towards where the stagnant corporation was located.
***
Ugh!
The space split, revealing residents in the shape of a chameleon with rolling eyes and a bewitching fox.
“Oh. You’re here.”
Jinhyuk found the two.
The rest of the members also stopped what they were doing at the approach of the unfamiliar being.
I instinctively felt that it was not done out of kindness.
“It’s so crowded.”
“Hehe. Should I at least introduce myself?”
“There’s no need for that. They’re going to die soon anyway.”
The designers talked amongst themselves about what they liked.
Typically, friends with very high self-esteem tend to show behavior patterns like that. Because you can’t tell if it’s poop or soybean paste until you eat it.
Jinhyuk did not spoil the entertainment and waited leisurely until it was over.
There was no reason for them to rush in the first place.
Because we had to wait until the clue arrived.
Only after the two’s trivial pride reached their peak did the two designers use their abilities in earnest.
“This will be the last time you see us.”
“Don’t worry too much. The pain won’t be long. Oh, of course. I was ordered to capture you alive, so you won’t die comfortably.”
The sound of giggling laughter rang out.
at the same time.
[The labyrinth changes begin!]
Kukukukukuk!
The terrain and features moved frantically.
The entire labyrinth is being rearranged as the designer wants.
A wall made of plants moved at an invisible speed.
The colorful leaves, completely different from before, were confusing the view.
We brought in powerful and threatening things that only appear after the middle of the labyrinth. The difficulty of the traps will also be impossible to compare with before.
surely.
Labyrinth Transformation is a fairly dangerous ability.
A single blow delivered in countless irregularities would be more than enough to inflict mortal wounds on the intruders.
but.
‘It was Hermen on the 33rd floor and Itmisha on the 27th floor. ‘Those guys.’
The patterns they both like and the characteristics of this labyrinth. And if you calculate that they will choose the most threatening option in order to quickly quell the gardener’s anger… it
is not that difficult to predict which arrangement they will prefer.
Tuk.
Jinhyuk jumped into the middle of a completely changed maze.
Immediately the new plants responded.
“Keeeeee!”
“Koooooo!”
Green liquid flew between the sharp teeth.
It is an acidic liquid that instantly digests even magic stones.
Vines and various small insects also attacked mercilessly.
[Glacier sculpture ‘Frost Wind’ is activated!]
Branches made of thin ice spread out like a spider web.
Although it was thin, it was a defensive skill that boasted greater strength than most steel.
however.
Suddenly! Suddenly!
The earwig’s pincers cut through the ice made of glacier sculpture like cutting radishes.
Chwichwichwichwit!
The two-headed bugs made an ugly noise and quickly closed the distance.
“There’s no way with an ice stick like that!”
“It’s impossible to run away now. We’re in too deep.”
The moment Jinhyeok took a step to evade, the sound of metals meeting each other rang out one after another.
A new kind of trap has been triggered.
Wriggling.
The ground shook and purple tentacles rose up.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!
Quaaaang!
The place where Jinhyeok was a moment ago has turned into a swampy field.
Naturally, Jinhyeok’s body, which had to endure the storm of attack with his bare body, became a piece of well-chopped meat.
Only the pool of blood showed that there had been any living thing here a moment ago.
“That’s boring.”
“That’s right.”
The two labyrinth designers snorted as they looked at the hollow ground.
I was looking forward to it, but it ended before I could properly relax.
It’s so boring that it’s so boring that I’m on the verge of becoming irritated.
It was clearly that feeling that was spreading throughout my body.
Until I heard a creepy voice right behind me.
“Wow. They made a meat grinder, not a trap. Very.”
“…!?”
“What what?”
“Shhh, if you look back, you’ll be in trouble.”
A cold touch penetrated the necks of the two labyrinth designers.
It was a blade with a chill that chilled my bones.
“how?”
“Ah, I should be a mess over there, but am I still here?”
That’s simple.
“The one over there is an alter ego just like me.”
A fake made from residual moonshine.
The main body leisurely went around the new labyrinth, aiming at the designer who was darkly pressing buttons behind him.
“That’s ridiculous. There’s no way there could be an alter ego so perfect that we wouldn’t notice.”
For thousands of years, distinguishing between fake and real has been a major task.
Labyrinth designers specialize in deceiving and deceiving their opponents.
However, they could not accept the fact that the newborn human was superior to them.
But the feelings of anger and shame did not last long.
Grumble.
The blood flowing separately from the neck is particularly cold.
As my head cooled down, the previously invisible reality slowly began to appear.
The first thought that came to mind was this.
how… Their location was discovered in this short period of time, right?
Even if it is possible for an alter ego, in the newly changed labyrinth, the labyrinth designers create a base in the most secret and safe place.
Even for worn-out masters, it is impossible to find the deepest part so quickly.
And yet, accomplishing the impossible…
…does that mean the level is different?
Far above.
This whole situation could only be explained by watching ants crawling in the sky overlooking everything.
In other words.
If you were a labyrinth designer, you would design traps to keep the rats in a corner.
This man is a hunter who understands the nature of the labyrinth itself and hunts everything in sight.
“What do you want? If you don’t kill me right away, I guess you know there’s something you want, right?”
“Now it makes sense.”
Jinhyuk smiled.
Even if that wasn’t the case, the plan was to use them as a clue to attack the gardener.
Unlike their cruel nature, these two guys hate to see themselves suffer, so even if you scare them moderately, they will become docile sheep and obediently do what they are told to do.
But at that moment.
Ugh!
A purple wave appeared on the bodies of the two designers.
“…uh?”
“huh?”
Before I could figure out what this was, a powerful explosion occurred.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!
“Kwaaaaak!”
“Aaaah!”
A body burning alive.
The gardener, who noticed the betrayal, made his move.
“Ugh… You really don’t have any humanity at all. Does it make sense to kill people who were your colleagues just to use them?”
Jinhyuk bit his lip, unable to bear the injustice.
If it were me, I would never have done it, even if it was due to bad conscience.
Anyway, the card that could easily reach the gardener with this has disappeared.
But misfortune does not last forever.
Tiring!
A status window appeared that could instantly dispel Jinhyeok’s bitterness.
