Chapter 38: Ninth Floor, Hounds of the Labyrinth (7)

The hounds snarled viciously from behind the thick metal gates on each side of the iron door. Their growls were filled with hostility, almost as if they were daring us to even think about approaching. The sound felt like a warning, clear and threatening.

“

Heh

, bark all you want!"

Ho-Su taunted as he tapped his sword against the iron bars, riling up the already enraged hounds. The long, tedious defense had irritated him, and he used this opportunity to vent that frustration.

I turned my gaze back to the iron door.

Has Hee-Jeong’s wave of fire reached this far?

The door was shut tight, but Ha Hee-Jeong’s spell had only scratched it, leaving dark scorch marks across its width. Seeing the lack of damage from the spell made me realize how lucky we were to have gotten that key from the baby mimic. Without it, we would have been stuck at the entrance to the hidden room.

I wondered if anyone else had ever made a mimic cough up a key like that. Probably not. If other climbers had discovered the hidden staircase, they likely would have been overwhelmed by the hounds, not even reaching the door.

Or worse, the flood of hounds could have immediately killed them.

Even if they had retreated up the stairs, they wouldn’t have had time to shut the door behind them. And who knows if it would have stayed closed?

“I really hope we don’t run into more of those damn hounds inside...”

“Yeah, there were way too many. Since they are quadrupeds, their attacks are harder to predict since they are so fast and agile.”

Seo Ho-Su’s comment snapped me out of my thoughts, and I noticed Cole nodding in agreement.

He had a point. There had been too many hounds, and only Ha Hee-Jeong was equipped to handle such large numbers. But now, she had exhausted all her mana. Honestly, I would prefer a single strong enemy over another horde.

I wasn’t necessarily weak against groups, but my mana reserve wasn’t exactly the largest. I couldn’t afford to just throw lightning around without restraint.

A few dozen enemies? Sure, I can handle that. But...

Even I would get worn out if we faced hundreds of enemies again. If I were alone, I could take my time and clear them out, but that wasn’t the case here. During combat, I would have to worry about the others. Protecting them while fighting off a horde would be a nightmare. I hoped we wouldn’t have to face another overwhelming swarm.

With that small wish in mind, I slid the golden key we had gotten from the mimic into the keyhole at the top of the iron door.

The door unlocked with a sharp sound, cutting through the tension in the air.

Click.

The rest of the party fell silent and waited. I was about to push the door open, but stopped and turned to the others.

“Everyone ready?"

“Yes!"

“Heh, let’s get this over with. Hopefully, it’s a treasure room without any monsters.”

Seo Ho-Su grinned and pulled his shield tighter. Despite his casual tone, he was fully prepared for whatever might come.

“Alright, opening it now."

“Wait! Let me do it."

Seo Ho-Su suddenly stepped in front of me.

“There could be a trap. I have a shield so if something triggers the moment the door opens, I’ll be fine."

He had a point, though I figured I could dodge anything that came at us.

“Okay, I’ll cover you from behind."

I decided to step aside and let him take the lead. Even if it wasn’t a trap, I could react quickly to any sudden situation.

No need to be stubborn when he's so insistent.

Positioning myself behind him, I gripped my axe tightly in my right hand, muscles tensing, ready to swing at any moment.

Seo Ho-Su raised his shield to chin level, then cautiously reached for the door handle with his sword hand. He gave it a push.

“Huh?”

Clunk.

The door didn’t move. It felt as though something heavy was bracing against it from the other side.

“... What the...?"

Maybe it wasn’t a push door after all. However, Seo Ho-Su didn’t seem to realize that yet. He leaned into it and pushed harder with his shoulder.

Clunk.

Still nothing. He furrowed his brows in confusion, clearly puzzled.

Does he still not understand?

“Uh... I think it’s a pull door.”

“Oh! Haha, of course. I thought I wasn’t strong enough to open it."

Seo Ho-Su shot a quick glance at Cole, but he couldn’t hide his embarrassment from me. It seemed like Cole struggling with the lever left quite the impression, so Seo Ho-Su tunnel-visioned trying to push the door instead of taking a step back to process the situation. Seo Ho-Su had probably assumed his own strength was the issue.

“Alright, let’s try this again."

He chuckled, then grabbed the handle before pulling this time.

Creaaak.

The iron door slowly swung open. Its loud, metallic screech cut through the silence. As the gap widened, we finally discovered what lay beyond.

Immediately, I spotted a massive three-meter-tall hunting hound with two heads that stood in front of a dark figure. The figure was clad in a black robe and flanked by another two-headed hunting hound. Finally, on a small altar at the very back of the room sat a single black shoe.

That had to be the reward.

“Prepare for battle!" I barked, my voice steady but urgent.

"Ha-Rin and Cole, protect Hee-Jeong at all costs!"

I eyed the two-headed creature warily.

What the—? Not three heads, but two?

This thing wasn’t even a proper Cerberus[1] knockoff. It looked similar to the hounds we fought earlier...

Are the ones we killed before their offspring?

No, the number of heads was different.

Well, no point in overthinking it.

I couldn’t allow my thoughts to wander right before combat. I needed to focus. The two-headed hounds growled, ready to pounce at any moment. Maybe the smell of the dead pups’ blood had angered them.

Standing in the midst of it all was the dark-robed figure. That had to be the necromancer who had revived the hounds earlier.

I need to take him out first.

If I went after the oversized Cerberus wannabes first, the fight could devolve into chaos like in the tunnel.

Ok, time to rush in.

I recalled the sensation of accelerating from earlier, how fast I had felt—like leaping through space. Gathering my mana, I summoned lightning into my legs before spreading it through my other limbs.

“Su-Hyeok, wait—”

Before Ho-Su could even finish his sentence, I sprang into action. I was gone in less time than it takes to blink.

“――.”

I was already in front of the necromancer. His grotesque, reptilian face came into focus, and I noticed he was murmuring something ominous. The necromancer’s species was one I had never seen before, and the eerie sound of his chant filled the air.

The necromancer's eyes widened in shock when he realized how quickly I had closed the gap. He halted his spell, trying to back away. But it was too late.

“...

Uh—!

”

His panic-stricken eyes didn’t even fully widen before my axe came crashing down.

Crack!

Lightning sparked as the blade buried itself into his skull. He didn’t even have time to scream as his eyes bulged out from the impact. Blood and brain matter oozed thickly from the wound and slid down his face.

Hmm, is my speed a form of teleportation magic...?

No, I had to stop obsessing over magic. Hee-Jeong’s spell from earlier had clearly left too much of an impression on me.

Now, there were only the two Cerberus dupes left.

I have used up most of my mana, but...

I would still be able to handle them with brute force alone.

Pulling my axe from the necromancer’s crumbling skull, I watched as thick, dark blood sprayed into the air.

“Whoa...”

Seo Ha-Rin gasped, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Ignoring her, I called out to Ho-Su, “Just focus on protecting the others! I’ll take care of the rest!”

Normally, I would want the party to experience some fighting, but time wasn’t on our side. Even if we rushed from here on out, we would be cutting it close. We needed to finish this quickly.

Conserving my remaining mana, I sparingly used Lightning Essence as I charged at the Cerberus dupes. Seeing my charge, the nearest beast rushed at me, both of its heads snarling as they snapped their jaws ferociously.

“Grrr!”

“Grrrah!”

For a brief second, I considered which head to strike first.

Why not both?

I swung my axe in a wide arc. The first impact caved in the left head, smashing it with ease. The swing continued into the right head, cleaving deep into it. The massive creature collapsed with a heavy thud, but I didn’t stop. I turned toward the second one, preparing myself for its charge.

Good, it’s coming for me.

Perhaps it was pissed that I had killed its master. Maybe it was pissed that I had killed its friend. Either way, it ignored the rest of the party and charged straight at me.

I dodged its charge, stepping widely to the right, then slammed my axe into its side.

“Yelp!”

The impact sent the beast rolling across the ground. Without giving it a moment to recover, I leaped forward and brought my axe down once more.

Crack, crack.

Both of its thick necks snapped in quick succession.

We had conquered the hidden room. It had been easier than I expected, but I couldn’t shake the feeling things would have gotten far more complicated if I hadn’t taken out the necromancer first. In hindsight, my snap decision had proved to have been the right decision.

I looked back at the others and realized they were all staring at me in stunned silence, their expressions a mix of awe and disbelief.

Did I finish the battle too quickly?

Noticing my gaze, Seo Ho-Su finally broke the silence.

“Wow, Su-Hyeok... You okay?”

He sounded like he was asking more out of formality than genuine concern, as his voice was tinged with admiration rather than worry.

“Yes, I'm fine."

I replied casually, though my attention was already shifting back to the real prize: the shoes.

[Kashatum’s Sky Shoes]

- Enhances all actions performed by the wearer’s feet.

- Allows the wearer to step again in mid-air.

- Agility +3, Stamina +2.

What caught my attention most was the ability to step on air. Just imagining the many new ways I could fight with these shoes made my heart race with excitement.

I carefully picked them up.

Hopefully, picking these up doesn’t cause the gates to open again...

Thankfully, my worries were unfounded. I didn’t hear anything from outside the iron door, and there was no sign the gates were opening. It was time to head back toward the exit.

“Alright, let's get out of here."

I smiled at my party members, who still seemed half-dazed.

***

“Oppa! What was that earlier? You were amazing!

Bam! Pow! Pow!

" Seo Ha-Rin exclaimed as she brimmed with energy.

“Exactly! I was worried the hounds might break free, but you just took out that necromancer in one hit!" Seo Ho-Su added, clearly still impressed.

Making our way to the exit, I just smiled faintly at their enthusiastic praise. Before I could respond, Cole spoke up with his usual serious tone.

“Su-Hyeok, you should be more proud of yourself. Every time our party is in danger, you always manage to handle it so easily. The same goes for Hee-Jeong."

“Nah.”

“... Are you holding back to help us grow?" Cole asked, his question hitting the mark.

I stiffened.

Have they finally figured it out?

After realizing on the seventh floor that my strength could negatively impact my party’s growth, I started holding back during group battles. This had especially been the case here on the ninth floor, and when I had trained Seo Ha-Rin

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“No, of course not," I replied, though Cole didn’t look convinced.

“Alright, then."

After that, Cole fell silent, and both Seo Ha-Rin and Seo Ho-Su seemed lost in thought.

Although Cole had accepted my answer, I could tell he had a lingering suspicion. He probably realized that Ha Hee-Jeong and I intentionally gave the others space to grow during battles.

It’s not like I can openly admit that though...

We were doing it to be considerate, but I could see it potentially come across as condescending... Perhaps the best course of action was to pretend we didn’t notice, even though we all knew what was really happening.

I couldn’t come up with a better solution, especially not on short notice.

The atmosphere remained weird, but our group continued walking toward the exit, with Cole occasionally giving directions. I wasn’t worried this would ruin the party’s relationships since they were all sharp-minded people.

There probably isn’t anyone else who would look out for them the way Hee-Jeong and I do.

They might be confused now, but they would understand and appreciate our help eventually. With such bright futures ahead, I hoped they would keep pushing forward with us.

***

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the ninth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: the Maze of Kashatum. Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Time remaining: 43 minutes 59 seconds. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the hidden room ‘Resting Place of the Hounds.’ Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 5,879 achievement points. Total achievement points: 57,675. He will now enter the waiting room.]

***

「Invisible message: Using the Bear King’s Double-Headed Axe has invigorated Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s Bear’s Blood. His skills have leveled up. Bear’s Blood is now lvl 8.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s skills have leveled up. Combat Focus is now lvl 11. Natural Healing is now lvl 7. Iron Skin is now lvl 3.」

1. Cerberus is a three-headed dog from Greek mythology that guards the entrance to the Underworld, preventing the dead from leaving and the living from entering. It is a fierce, monstrous creature often depicted with additional serpentine or dragon-like features. ☜