Episode 599
599. Side story 1st floor Taeyeon Lee (1)
“Huh?”
Taeyeon Lee opened her eyes.
What she saw in front of her was a house with a chimney.
A well in the middle of the village.
There was a village in front of me that seemed to have a medieval setting.
“Huh?”
Taeyeon Lee was taken aback by the sense of foreignness that felt like coming to a traditional village.
Why are you here?
What happened?
The moment I thought about it, her memory surfaced.
What happened just before?
“Tsk.”
She flinched without realizing it.
She was living a normal life as always. Daily life is very boring and dull, but it is also very peaceful.
But that daily life was suddenly shattered.
The sky opened. Not figuratively, really.
It was breaking and breaking apart, and strange monsters appeared beyond it.
Although her identity was unknown, she knew one thing for sure.
That thing was not friendly to them.
Monsters began to trample on the world.
Someone had been crushed to death in front of her. Pieces of what had once been people flew everywhere, and people who came to their senses began to scream and run away.
okay. It was definitely like that.
I had run away.
So where on earth is this medieval village?
Why am I here?
She barely held her shaking head and recalled the memory. As a result, she could barely remember.
“A strange window…”
appeared.
[Your world is destroyed by invaders. The weapons you worked so hard to create are of no use to them.]
[But don’t worry.]
[A merciful being takes pity on you and wants to give you a chance.] [
I will give you a choice. Choose where you want to go! Enter the labyrinth. Clear that place and gain strength.]
[And come back and save your world.]
It was a window that felt like that. It was something foreign that could not be explained by modern science and technology.
“There is definitely a choice among them….”
Easy mode. Normal hard. And it was in alone mode.
I could roughly guess what level of difficulty it was just by the name. Easy mode is probably the easiest and Alone is the most difficult.
So what did she choose?
“…I don’t remember.”
The last thing she remembers is the monster’s body trying to trample on her and the spear she had to push down in a hurry to survive.
I couldn’t remember what difficulty level I chose there. Taeyeon Lee bit her lip tightly.
“For now.”
It’s likely that the choice wasn’t just for you. From the reactions I vaguely remember from the people around me, they also had a choice.
In that case, she didn’t come alone.
There must be someone.
Taeyeon Lee stood up hesitantly.
The place where she is is a square that can be said to be the center of the village.
But there was not a single living thing to be seen.
The only sound that can be heard is her heavy breathing.
The feeling of being left alone came over her.
“….”
no.
There must be someone.
She started walking around the village with hope. The size of the village was not small. I was only able to get around after walking non-stop for two hours. Normally, she would have run out of breath before she could even walk halfway, but her breathing didn’t stop.
But she didn’t have the presence of mind to realize it. I looked around the village frantically, like a girl hanging from a cliff.
As a result, what was revealed was the cruel truth that there was no one in the village.
dump.
She sat down without realizing it.
“Oh no.”
That can’t be possible.
She couldn’t have been left alone. She looked around the village frantically, but couldn’t see anything.
“Ah ahhh….”
She trembled. The fear of being left alone took over my whole body.
no. I haven’t confirmed everything yet.
There was one place we hadn’t checked yet.
However, I felt a fear there that was even worse than the feeling of loneliness. Her instincts were warning her that it was terrible out there.
There was nothing I could do now. She walked hesitantly.
How long did it take to walk like that? She could see a small cave.
And so was the black-haired man leaning against the cave wall with his eyes closed.
There is no one but herself.
But she couldn’t be happy.
That man is dangerous.
At least he was qualitatively different from the people she knew. Her instincts were frantically ringing the alarm.
But there was no other option. She suppressed her instincts and approached the man.
“…hey?”
“what. “Are you here?”
The man opened his eyes. He yawned as if he was sleepy, narrowed his eyes and looked at Taeyeon Lee.
At that moment, Taeyeon Lee took a step back without realizing it.
The other person was clearly a human being like her. Although its entire body looked solid, it was the size of an ordinary adult.
But she was overwhelmed.
It felt like a carnivore growling. The man tilted his head when he saw Taeyeon Lee, who had unconsciously protected herself.
‘what?’
He was now completely hiding himself. Otherwise, the adventurers would be scared and wouldn’t be able to approach, so it was only natural.
To see his essence, one had to reach a level at least similar to that of him or a level higher than that.
And it was impossible for someone who had just entered the labyrinth to reach that level.
However, Taeyeon Lee seemed to have noticed his power, even if only for a moment.
‘…There is one possibility.’
How did the woman recognize his status?
It was possible if the potential was at a level that easily surpassed him.
‘It must be an illusion.’
The man dismissed it lightly. That’s impossible. Among the countless adventurers in the labyrinth, there was no one stronger than him.
Moreover, as far as he knows, the woman comes from a peaceful world. Anyone could see that he was an ordinary, frail human being. It didn’t seem like he had the ability to recognize his hidden power.
I was scared when I saw him in such a sudden situation. The man decided that way.
“ruler. Do you want to hear an explanation?”
“I’ll just explain, then go to sleep and I’ll explain what the situation is right now…”
“Are you going to listen? Are you going to tell me?”
A strong attitude that they will not listen to any other answers.
Taeyeon Lee couldn’t help but nod her head.
“First of all, congratulations. I am the gatekeeper of the labyrinth. “He is the guardian of this place and the person who will guide you.”
The man said. It was a very mechanical and businesslike attitude.
“What is your name?”
“This is Taeyeon Lee….”
“Taeyeon Lee. I am a broken man. You heard it from outside, right? Your world is being destroyed by invaders. “This is an opportunity given to you by the merciful Transcendent.”
Broken Man grumbled.
“He is extremely merciful. “I would be happier if I just perished.”
“Super transcendent?”
Taeyeon Lee expressed doubt, but Broken Man continued indifferently.
“This place is a labyrinth. Some people call it Top, but you can call it whatever you want. There are a total of 100 floors, with major changes occurring every 10 floors, and of course the deeper you go, the more difficult it becomes. Eating in the labyrinth is handled by yourself, and you can find the details yourself. “It’s over.”
“…yes?”
Taeyeon Lee couldn’t understand what the broken man was saying. A transcendent person. What a labyrinth. Aren’t these words that would come out of some fantasy world?
“excuse me. A little more…”
“It’s annoying. “There’s a guy selling things inside, so take it from him.”
It was a face that really showed annoyance.
“…Inside?”
“I told you. “This is the transcendent mercy given to you who should be left as they were.”
The Broken Man cracked into the cave.
“Go inside and see the end of the labyrinth. “I don’t know if it’s possible, but if it succeeds, you will gain the power to save your world.”
“….”
“I’d like to tell you to go in like this, but… as a gatekeeper, you have to do what you have to do.”
As the Broken Man stirred the air, the space split apart. Lee Taeyeon was once again surprised by the magical appearance.
“Say OK.”
“…check.”
The system window obscured her view as she spoke cautiously.
[Frayed cloth armor]
[Defense + 1]
[It seems to prevent minor scratches.]
[Rusty sword]
[Attack + 1]
[It looks like it will break before long.]
Attack and defense. It was like a game.
“Wear it yourself. And say status window.”
“Status window.”
[Taeyeon Lee]
[Level: 1]
[Stamina: 100/100]
[Mana: 10/10]
[Strength: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Attack + 0]
[Defense + 0]
[Target is It’s very confusing.]
Stats.
She let out a laugh without realizing it. The Broken Man lifted his chin.
“ruler. “Now go down.”
“….”
Taeyeon Lee looked beyond the cave.
Although she couldn’t see anything, she at least had a pretty good feeling that it wouldn’t be kind to her.
‘Attack and defense power. Stats. And the labyrinth.’
Taeyeon Lee once played a similar game.
A game where you clear a labyrinth in a limited space and go down wearing various equipment. Roguelike.
It was a game she enjoyed playing.
The current situation was very similar to that game.
And to that extent, she knew instinctively what she should do there.
You have to risk your life to go down.
“Ugh…”
I don’t like it.
She was living a boring, leisurely but peaceful life. But suddenly I have to risk my life. Like an ordinary person everywhere, she expressed her rejection.
“I need that information.”
She stuttered.
“I can’t go down with just what you said. Information is too limited. At least….”
She made a reasonable point. There was little information available from the Broken Man’s explanation alone. It was natural to ask for a more detailed explanation.
“ah.”
The problem was that that common sense was not applicable to the other party.
“It’s annoying.”
There is a sense of death in the voice. Taeyeon Lee’s body reflexively stiffens.
“I am the gatekeeper. It’s the one that guards the entrance to the labyrinth, right? “Do you sometimes kill intruders who are not adventurers?”
The Broken Man reveals his teeth.
“I think you are the intruder. what do you think about it?”
Taeyeon Lee’s breath caught.
Only then did she realize.
The fact that he was thrown into a barbaric space without order, law, rules, or reason.
“Make your decision. “Either die here or disappear before my eyes right now.”
In the end, there was no choice. She walked shakily. A deep, dark cave slowly swallowed her.
