Chapter 40: The Monster Within the Labyrinth, Manticore (4)
Just as Gale had bragged.
“Mhm.”
Elwin didn’t show the slightest fear in the face of the monstrous burst of mana barreling toward him.
“…Honestly, not what I expected.”
He was only a little disappointed.
In gas, sotis unexpected side events pop up that have nothing to do with the main story.
—The trapped beast of the labyrinth, ‘Manticore’.
Manticore was a hidden boss who only appeared in such side content.
If the player didn’t intentionally go looking for him, they’d never even catch a glimpse of his fur.
But Manticore was known to be a fairly strong boss in LAMPAS, and so he was popular among players who enjoyed intense combat.
Even the relatively simple Phase 1 had impressive power, and the complicated Phase 2 patterns were challenging enough to make even veteran players sweat.
Even Elwin, whose mories of his past life were fading, had felt a twinge of excitent.
‘I might finally get to enjoy a real fight again!’
Elwin had grown terrifyingly powerful in a short span of ti.
And with no worthy foes to challenge him, he longed for a battle he could actually enjoy, even if it didn’t require his full strength.
So he’d co in hopeful…
But what he found was a pitiful mutt with its tail between its legs.
This was just—
“So boring!”
FWOOOSH—!
Elwin grinned wickedly and swung his sword in a wide arc.
Just one swing.
But with that one strike, the fierce mana beam rushing toward him was split clean down the middle.
Flash!
The aimless magical energy soon dissipated into the air and vanished.
The Manticore managed to speak through trembling lips—only to gasp in horror.
When their eyes t, he froze on the spot.
The reason was simple.
Manticore, among the many ancient monsters, was a special entity.
He had once been the king of mankind and possessed a unique power known as the “Star of Blessing.”
It allowed him to see a being’s essence—to judge good and evil with divine clarity.
Though that power had long remained dormant after he’d fallen into monstrosity…
Today, for so reason, it awakened—more vividly than ever before.
That human’s nature… or rather, the thing wearing a human’s skin—
The monster who always inflicted terror was now experiencing true fear for the first ti. The fear of the unknown.
Terrified, the Manticore scrambled backward, screaming.
He shrieked in pure panic, hurling cursed spirits and whipping his tail wildly, desperate to put distance between himself and Elwin.
But none of it bought him even a second.
Slash—!
His tail, once swung like a massive mace, was sliced clean through and sent spinning into the air.
The cursed spirits, for so reason, couldn’t even graze Elwin. They turned to light and vanished before reaching him—like wings of wax lting in sunlight.
It was pure, overwhelming power.
“That’s… a Special-Class Hunter!”
Those watching trembled with awe. The shock of that overwhelming force swept over them like a tidal wave, leaving them stunned.
They couldn’t tell if what they were seeing was reality… or a dream.
“I… I can’t believe my eyes. He’s terrifyingly strong…”
“This doesn’t make sense…! How can a human control that kind of mana?!”
“Ha… Hahaha! I was right! I had to secure the cooperation of a Special-Class Hunter!”
“That brat… The stuff he showed before wasn’t even a fraction of his real strength, was it? …I’d better stop trying to show off.”
They finally realized just who was standing in front of them. Soone who could rewrite history just by existing—every breath he took, a living legend.
“The Yellow-Ranked Special-Class Hunter…!”
While the four were still overco with lingering chills and awe—
“Haaah.”
The one responsible for it all—Elwin—had a very different outlook. His blue eyes now shimred with boredom.
“…Well, this sucks.”
He let out a dry laugh and muttered.
“Would it kill you guys to consider my feelings when you call a monster a monster? Whether it’s demonic beasts or monsters or whatever—you’re just throwing the word around now.”
He absentmindedly spun his sword with a lazy twirl and made up his mind.
“Mmh. Let’s just end this.”
His side goal—an exciting battle—had unfortunately flopped.
But the main objective? Accomplished 100%. Maybe more.
‘Well, I definitely made a strong first impression.’
Elwin glanced back.
He saw the gazes of those looking at him—shining eyes full of disbelief, admiration, or sothing else.
‘Not sure what each of them is thinking exactly…’
But it wasn’t likely to be bad.
It wasn’t easy to feel wary of soone who had saved your life.
Luckily, these four leaned toward being good.
‘At least, for now.’
And he intended to make sure they stayed that way.
‘If Abito Yully were a little older, or more composed… he might’ve sensed sothing off.’
But right now, Abito was young and ntally rattled by the condition of Timur, soone like family to him.
He wouldn’t notice it.
—That subtle dissonance in a situation that had been perfectly staged.
‘If only lasa had stayed conscious too, it would’ve been even better…’
Still, these four were enough. He had the key players.
“Alright. Ti to wrap this up.”
There were two ways to defeat the Manticore.
One: overwhelm him with brute force.
‘But that part’s done. Any more and it’ll be too much.’
Awe, admiration—and fear. The line between them was thin.
This was the ti to build rapport with the main characters. He needed to dial it down a bit to establish good relationships.
‘So, let’s go with the second option.’
Elwin now had all the conditions needed to make the Manticore destroy himself.
With lightning speed, Elwin appeared right in front of the Manticore.
And whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.
“You foolish son.”
The second thod for defeating the Manticore… was to make him self-destruct.
“You’ve ruined everything in the end.”
It was incredibly simple.
***
A long, long ti ago, back when he was still human—before he beca a king—
There was a peaceful kingdom ruled by a great king.
—Our Phrygia Kingdom shall flourish forever under the blessings of the gods LAMPAS and Pulgor!
A wise and benevolent ruler, beloved and respected by all.
He truly revered the gods and was cherished by even the immortals.
—To the King of Phrygia, we bestow three blessings.
The gods granted him the wisdom to beco the greatest mind in the world, the insight to judge people, and… the ability to glimpse the future.
Thus, he was hailed as the greatest sage-king in history.
—Your descendants shall carry our grace and be rembered eternally.
And under the shadow of that great king, the prince always felt inadequate.
Compared to his father in life, scolded in death—he was never enough.
That pain never ended. Not while his father lived. Not after he died.
So the unworthy prince made a vow.
—No matter what it takes, I will surpass my father.
But in the end… what had beco of that vow?
And then, it happened.
“My son. My foolish son.”
…He could almost hear his father’s voice in his ear.
“My son. Have you truly beco a king?”
Whether human or monster, the Manticore had always seen himself as ruler.
But now… was he?
Was he still a king? Could he still call himself that?
“Where are those who once stood beside you? Where is our kingdom—yours and mine?”
Were there still followers, subjects, people at his side?
Land? Wealth? A nation? Did he still have those things?
“Have you beco a wise king… like I once was?”
Had he beco the kind of king his father had been?
He was once human. Once king.
Now a monster who had forgotten even his own na.
He’d been defeated by a hero blessed by Pulgor, then sealed away.
He recalled that pitiful end.
The Manticore whispered blankly, his eyes raised to the sky.
As that doubt took hold, the faint light that had lingered in his crown since his awakening… went out.
Fwoooosh—!
And with that, the vengeful spirits bound to him for thousands of years were released.
They soared into the heavens, free at last—with no regrets.
“A king must stand firm on his own. One who doubts himself is no king.”
Normally, the Manticore would never have tolerated the loss of such “proof” of his kingship.
But now—
He gave no response. No resistance.
Elwin stepped toward the still Manticore and spoke gently.
“Co now, my son. Co to .”
In his hand shone a sword bathed in brilliant golden light.
The Manticore instinctively bowed before it. In his hazy consciousness, that sword—no, that man—seed like the only salvation from his despair.
Shiiick—!
As the sharp blade pierced his heart, one last mory surfaced.
—My son. My foolish son… rember your father’s words.
Even as death ca to claim him, his father had offered him counsel.
—A king must never forget rcy and compassion for all. Nor reverence and devotion to the gods. If you do…
The words he had forgotten, perhaps even wanted to forget.
—You will face a terrible end. Your fate, from the day you were born, has always led toward ruin.
His father’s final warning. His destiny.
—Run from your fate.
Advice, steeped in pity. But even that had not been enough.
Blood-tears fell from the closed eyes of the Manticore.
He fell to his knees, his hands folded in prayer—and like ash, he vanished from the world.
A death thousands of years overdue.
***
Elwin turned slowly to face the others, carrying a strange air, as if he didn’t quite belong to this world.
“And that’s that. It’s over. You’re safe now.”
Then he smiled wide and bright.
“…Huh?”
“There’s nothing left to threaten you.”
His sudden shift caught the others off guard.
“Haha! Co on, now. Snap out of it. We need to tend to the injured!”
“Ah! We need to start treatnt—!”
“Timur! You’re alive, right?! Stay with !”
Their minds finally returned, and they rushed toward their fallen companions.
Whether through healing spells or makeshift first aid, they moved to help.
“So kindhearted, all of them.”
Even though they themselves were barely standing.
“Hey, Elwin. What the hell did you say to that monster?”
But Gale didn’t rush over with the others. He approached Elwin.
After all, if he had any comrades here—it was Elwin.
“Ah, just a sec.”
Elwin raised a hand, signaling him to wait.
He rummaged through his coat and pulled out a communicator.
“This is Elwin. Operation all-clear.”
Bzzzzt—!
Click.
[As expected of you, Elwin-nim. We had faith.]
Ca the voice of Chief Examiner Arey Oswald.
“There are quite a few seriously injured. We need an ergency warp.”
[How many casualties?]
“Nine in total. Use the coordinates I sent earlier, Arey.”
[Yes! O-of course!]
Gale rembered how smug that examiner had been earlier.
But the way he stuttered just because Elwin addressed him by na?
‘Yup. That guy’s one of the brat’s fanboys too.’
[By the way… among the survivors trapped within the sealed area… any fatalities?]
Elwin went silent for a mont, then spoke.
“No.”
“…!”
Gale, standing nearby, widened his eyes—but he didn’t say a word.
“None.”
“……”
“Not a single death.”
Shhh.
Elwin raised a finger to his lips.
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