2.
In the dark, stone chamber, the only light ca from the candles hanging on the walls, casting faint shadows around the space. Everything else was so dark it was impossible to tell if there were any pits or other hidden dangers lurking.
However, the sound of footsteps could be heard as Seong and Lord Paragon Gridri walked forward.
The one leading the way was Paragon, holding a torch, but Seong was further ahead, his expression set with a focused determination.
"Just keep going this way, and you’ll reach the labyrinth entrance," Paragon explained.
He was about to ask whether anyone was guarding this area, but Seong didn’t need that clarification. He had seen the heavily ard guards posted earlier, so he knew it wasn’t necessary to ask.
And then,
There’s a special magic here.
‘I see.’
According to Helena, there were nurous magical wards in place here, so there was no need to worry.
After guiding Seong to the path, Paragon gave a brief nod as Seong acknowledged him.
Before Seong could start, Paragon spoke again, his expression filled with deep concern.
"Be careful."
It was evident that Paragon had endured much in the past few months, and the weight of his worries showed.
Seong, noticing Paragon's unease, responded with reassurance.
"Of course. After all, I'm just an outsider."
"Ha, I've never heard that statent sound so reassuring. Here, take this." Paragon handed over an unextinguishable torch.
Seong shook his head, declining the offer.
Then, out of the darkness, shadows appeared behind Seong, glowing faintly with teal eyes.
Paragon, although aware of Seong’s allies, instinctively took a step back, startled by the sudden appearance of so many eyes.
"How long have they been there?" Paragon thought, his gaze trembling as he looked at Seong.
"There's no need for a torch," Seong explained calmly.
"...I see?"
"Yes, I'll be on my way."
It was a simple statent, but for Paragon, it felt like the most reassuring thing he had heard in a long ti. He felt as though asking for Seong's help had been the right decision.
Seong’s footsteps grew fainter as he walked away.
The sound of his footsteps echoed, distant at first.
But as ti passed, the sound seed to grow, and Paragon found himself swallowing nervously as the footsteps echoed through the labyrinth.
"Haah."
This ti, his intuition felt oddly right.
3.
The central area of the underground labyrinth reeked of decay, like a stagnant pond left unmanaged for years.
A thick, dark mist hung in the air, carrying with it the foul stench.
It was an unpleasant place, yet Seong paid it no mind as he walked quietly through the area.
No presence was noticeable around him.
Although he didn’t have any specific skills to sense nearby threats, his accumulated mories and experiences guided him.
He felt the malice embedded in the mist and sent out his scouting units—the chira death squads—who had no souls.
‘Hmm.’
Even if the central area was sealed off, the labyrinth was vast. Seong knew that he couldn’t explore it all by himself.
As he deployed his scouts, his subordinates, Leonic and Fiora, spoke up.
Hey, Noctrynium, is it still not working?
"…It’s not," Noctrynium replied curtly.
It’s fine.
Leonic’s words seed to sting Noctrynium’s pride, but Fiora comforted him, and Helena smiled faintly at the scene.
Seong, anwhile, was focusing on the positions of his scouts. Without the ability to share vision, he had to track their locations individually to detect any signs of enemies or traps.
As he observed, he noticed the chira death squads weren’t encountering any obstacles, raising his suspicions.
“Are there no traps?”
At Seong’s remark, Noctrynium spoke up.
"Perhaps the one who’s survived here the longest has disard the traps."
That made sense.
If there were no traps, this place would be even more dangerous.
Seong quickly confird this and ordered his chira and homunculus death squads to move more swiftly.
With faster movents, Seong was able to explore the area much more efficiently.
However, the presence of the death squads began to vanish, and Seong imdiately took action, moving without a word.
Snap!
As Seong moved, his subordinates reacted in unison.
They were quick—though slower than Anemore, Seong couldn’t afford to summon Anemore in such a situation.
At most, he could summon Barfur, but even then, Barfur would only be as fast as Seong himself.
There was no need to summon him.
Seong sent more death squads to the location where his scouts had vanished, but they were already disappearing again—at an even faster rate.
‘They’re coming this way.’
Seong detected the direction the chira death squads were moving, realizing they were heading toward him.
‘Let’s see.’
He thought for a mont before sending more of his death squads.
The chira squads were no longer necessary, as reconnaissance was no longer useful.
Now, he sent his goblin squads and the lesser demon Kaishak squads.
This ti, they didn’t disappear as the chira squads had.
Seong quickened his pace as he felt the situation growing more urgent.
Tap tap tap.
But then,
‘Already three of them?’
Not long after, three of the goblins had already fallen.
It wasn’t that the goblin squads were weak—they had already reached their limits in the Netherworld and were now at a level not to be taken lightly.
However, for them to fall so quickly? It was simple to deduce.
‘They’re that strong.’
Just as Seong was approaching, all the goblin squads and Kaishak squads disappeared.
They had been wiped out.
While Seong could have revived them using his death squads, he chose not to.
There was no point in doing so now; they would only be a hindrance in the battle. They had been taken down too quickly to be useful.
Instead, it would be better to summon units of his subordinates’ level.
Seong thought this and snapped his fingers, summoning Barfur and Valtar from the Netherworld.
Drakanos?
‘He said he’d rest for now.’
After the battle with the Mirage Lord, he had exhausted quite a bit of energy and decided to take a break.
Though Drakanos was one of Seong’s strongest subordinates, his age ant he needed rest.
‘I’ll let him rest.’
Seong had passed that ssage along, so he only summoned Valtar.
Hahaha! It's ti to show off my perfected swordsmanship!
Thank you for summoning !
Valtar’s wild energy and Barfur’s simple nature were a stark contrast, but both were now ready for battle.
They were about to face a raid boss, so Seong, ntally preparing for the fight, recalled the video recording he had forgotten earlier.
But it didn't matter; he was busy anyway. He could send the video later.
Seong charged ahead, and sothing flew toward him.
Swoooosh—!!!
A sharp object, cutting through the air, ca rushing at him.
Noctrynium, stepping forward, attempted to block it with the labyrinth’s floor, turning it into a wall to intercept the incoming object.
He almost succeeded.
Crash—!!
But the wall collapsed under the force of the attack. Though it slowed the object, its speed still remained powerful.
As it continued toward Seong, Barfur, Valtar, and Fiora quickly positioned themselves, using their massive hands, blood-soaked greatswords, and shield-like hands to block the attack.
Boom boom boom boom—!!!
The combined strength of the three was barely enough to stop it.
It was a stone spear, shaped like a javelin, seemingly crafted from the labyrinth’s walls.
At that mont, Leonic, from a distance, blasted an aura of bluish energy toward the stone spear's direction.
Screeeech!
Crashhhh!!!
The deafening collision was followed by a shockwave of force, pushing Leonic back rapidly.
It beca clear that Leonic alone couldn’t handle the force.
Seong observed the battle with a casual, almost bored expression.
From the distance, Seong could hear footsteps.
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack.
Despite Leonic charging ahead, the footsteps coming from the opposite direction were steady and unhurried.
Seong didn’t move, not out of laziness, but because he was compelled to stay still by the event-triggered state.
Clearly, soone had found him.
Unable to move a single finger, Seong could see the figure approaching.
A woman, drenched in blood, looking more beastly than human, walked steadily toward him.
But her eyes and spear glowed with a piercing intensity as she approached.
"You block my attack...?"
There was an unmistakable sense of anticipation in her voice.
And within it, Seong could feel an overwhelming malice, hostility, and murderous intent unlike anything he had experienced before.
It was as though she had just found a new, interesting toy to play with.
Her lips curled into a vicious grin.
She looked directly at Seong and said, "You're strong, aren't you? Just like that woman."
The reference to that woman was unmistakable.
The woman wielding a single sword.
It had to be the sa person.
That ant...
‘Was she also at the Almighty rank?’
It seed likely.
Seong thought about this when Helena spoke up.
She’s not soone you and your subordinates can handle alone yet.
Seong agreed, sensing the truth of her words.
The system also confird it with a warning.
[Hidden Raid Boss The Worst of Pentagrid, Carn has appeared.]
[The Hidden Raid is about to begin.]
!!!Warning!!!
There is no party!!!
Dangerous!!!
There is a significant level difference!!!
Dangerous!!!
The system ssage rang out, a harsh warning echoing through the air.
Yet, the more pressing the danger, the wider Seong's smile beca.
Now, this was going to be interesting.
Seong thought to himself, and soon, he felt his body regain the ability to move.
The mont it did, Carn moved.
She dashed forward with incredible speed.
Seong almost missed it, but his accumulated mories and experiences allowed him to quickly process the rapid motion.
As he understood the situation, his subordinates did the sa, springing into action.
The first to engage was Leonic, emanating a powerful blue aura as he focused all his energy into his sword, trying to bind Carn with his ferocious, unparalleled swordplay.
However...
Twist.
Carn easily deflected Leonic’s strike, her spear moving like a dance.
But Leonic’s swordplay was brutal, and he swung with all his might, attempting to break Carn’s spear in two.
Clang—!!!
!!!!!!!
Leonic felt an intense recoil that numbed his hand, but as an undead, he didn’t suffer any lasting damage. He was pushed back swiftly.
In terms of technique, they were even.
But Carn’s overwhelming strength made her the superior fighter, forcing Leonic to retreat.
At that mont, Valtar stepped in front of Leonic, yelling out fiercely.
Show them the fruits of your training, Leonic! It’s your turn to show what you’ve learned!
Valtar’s passionate shout echoed through the labyrinth.
What kind of training had Valtar undergone to speak with such conviction?
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