Chapter 38: The Labyrinth of Adanta (2)

The half-destroyed Labyrinth of Adanta was a Gate that anyone could clear as long as they knew the strategy. The hard work lay in figuring it out.

"Thanks to the Discernment skill, I already know the strategy."

The spirits clicked their tongues in disapproval.

"That's unfair."

"It really is."

After blocking traps with his shield, erasing magic with his Flamethrower, eliminating monsters from a distance, and advancing for over six hours, Kim Ki-Rok finally stopped to set up camp for the night.

He set up a tent and took out a portable burner and a pot to cook some instant ramen. While slurping it down, Kim Ki-Rok pointed his chin toward the spirits and continued explaining about The Labyrinth of Adanta.

"I even know about the most dangerous monster at the end and the state it's in."

"Huh? The final monster?"

"Yes."

"What kind of monster is it?"

"It's an Ogre."

"Oh, CEO Kim."

"Yes?"

"Don't you think it'd be a better idea to try this Gate with the help of more people?"

"It's okay. It's a starved Ogre."

"Hungry beasts are the most frightening, though..."

"It's a different story if the beast has been fasting for a year."

"Wouldn't it be dead at that point?"

"Adanta had inscribed a magic circle on the bodies of all the monsters in the maze, converting absorbed mana into Vitality."

"Then it wouldn't be a hungry beast, no, a hungry monster."

"The problem is that an earthquake destroyed the mana stone that was installed."

"Oh, I see. So that's why you said it's a hungry Ogre."

"Yes."

"But it's still an Ogre, right?" a female spirit murmured, tilting her head in confusion.

Although the monster was an Ogre, Kim Ki-Rok had reason for his confidence. "As I said, it has been starving for a year. Unable to absorb mana, it can only perform minimal life activities. In other words..."

"In other words?"

"It'll be dead after one swing of a blade."

"That sounds easy."

"Yes. Taking care of the Ogre isn't hard at all."

"So, defeating the Ogre is the easy step? Does that mean the other monsters are going to be more difficult?"

"One mana stone installed in the Labyrinth of Adanta hasn't been affected by the earthquake. And that mana stone is attached to a certain monster's body."

"A monster with a mana stone installed in its body? Is it a Chimera?"

"That's right, a Chimera."

"What kind?"

"A Fishfolk Chimera."

"A Fishman?"

Fishfolk were monsters with the upper body of a fish and the lower body of a human.

"Yes. It is speculated to have suffered minimal damage to its mana stone during the earthquake, as it was underwater at the time. Well, its transparent tank being maintained by magic would have been destroyed, and it should now be wandering above ground."

"It shouldn't pose a big threat. If you were to face it on land, that is."

While the spirits nodded in agreement, Kim Ki-Rok wore a different expression.

Even if the Fishfolk had received debuffs due to geographical influences, he would still be facing a Level 60 monster. Of course, he could avoid it if he wanted to, but he had to defeat all the monsters inside the Gate if he wanted to obtain special rewards.

"Skill, Mirror."

[

Mirror (D)

]

Description: Harnesses the Chimera Doppelganger’s innate ability

Effect: Copy 85% of the target's stats

Duration: 10 minutes

Cooldown: 24 hours

There was still hope. Although this skill was limited to its ten-minute time window, it was now capable of copying 85% of the target's stats. There were a few variables to consider, but within ten minutes, he could manage it somehow. Even if he failed, it didn't matter that much as he could simply run away and fight another time.

If the monster chased after him, he could take advantage of the maze and get through with the help of the five spirits, his Elemental, as well as memories from his previous Attempts here.

The Fishfolk surely wouldn't be able to chase him for long and would get lost. It had the head of a fish, after all.

***

After destroying the trap and defeating the monster, Kim Ki-Rok, who had to face the seventh monster after breaking through the seventh trap, pulled out a longsword and a dagger from his Subspace pocket.

"Spirits, please return for a moment." He called them back to the mana stone.

"Good luck."

"Thank you. I will see you shortly."

Kim Ki-Rok took a step forward and tucked the spirit mana stone back in his subspace pocket. He was faced with a fork in the road. He could encounter the Gate boss by choosing the right path, deactivating the traps, and defeating any monsters along the way. However, he decided to go left instead.

After about ten minutes, a door appeared in front of Kim Ki-Rok.

"What a strange temperament."

Kim Ki-Rok, standing in front of the door, focused his mana. There was a Level 60 monster. Therefore, the difficulty of the Gate should also range from Level 1 to 60. However, the Appraisal system had set the difficulty of The Labyrinth of Adanta to Levels 1 to 20 instead. This was because all the monsters, or Level 60 monsters, were excluded from the difficulty setting because it was magically sealed in a room that no one could enter.

"Unlock. Password: 0813."

Click

.

The magic that had been holding the doors shut was released, and the tightly closed door opened automatically. The password to the sealed room could be obtained when selecting "Diary of Adanta" as a reward after clearing the Gate.

Kim Ki-Rok took another step and passed through the door. Inside the room lurked a shark monster with the upper body of a shark and the lower body of a human. Unlike the other monsters he encountered in here, this one was still in good health.

The swaying Shark Fishfolk stopped in its tracks when he entered. Kim Ki-Rok immediately adjusted his stance as the Shark Fishfolk slowly turned around to face him.

It immediately charged at him.

"Mirror."

With his ability copying the shark's stats as well as the effects of his equipment, he was nearing 100% of its power.

Clash!

Swooosh!

Bang!

It was a collision of pure strength.

Kim Ki-Rok and the Shark Fishfolk were both pushed back. The difference was that while Kim Ki-Rok remained composed, the Shark Fishfolk seemed extremely startled and momentarily paused.

However, the Fishfolk had not encountered a single prey for a long time. It charged once more. Kim Ki-Rok also had to defeat him within the 10-minute time limit, so he sprang against the monster.

Bang!

Clang

!

Even as his sword broke, Kim Ki-Rok did not falter. He immediately discarded the broken sword, reached into his subspace pocket, and pulled out a highly concentrated perfume.

Pshh.

Although the average human would have found the scent pleasant, the same thing couldn't be said for the sensitive Fishfolk that could detect odors from hundreds of meters away. The overpowering fragrance caused the Shark Fishfolk to stiffen and collapse momentarily.

"Wind."

To exploit its weakness, Kim Ki-Rok had switched his artifact to one with wind-related attributes.

Thud! Thud!

Approaching the suffering Shark Fishfolk, Kim Ki-Rok thrust a dagger into his mouth. It was the Viper's Fang +1 with the Venom effect. He also dropped a grenade and quickly retreated.

Bang!

The grenade had little effect since it hadn't been one made using a mana stone. However, it was powerful enough to destroy the dagger, which had low durability after its upgrade. The broken dagger pierced through the Fishfolk's flesh and slid across its neck. The monster, suffering from the intense smell, writhed in pain once again,

While waiting for it to die from a slight distance, Kim Ki-Rok saw something flare up.

"Oh, come on!"

Red mana spewed out from the dying Shark Fishfolk's body.

"

Hmm.

"

It was an ability of the Shark Fishfolk, called Berserker. This allowed one to unleash any remaining mana to revert their body to the original state for five minutes, after which the user would fall dead. Kim Ki-Rok checked the timer that he had set just before he entered battle when he had used Mirror.

"I'm in luck. We're at 4 minutes and 40 seconds."

In past encounters, there were times when the Berserker skill had activated and times when it hadn't. There were instances where Berserker was activated before or after the five-minute mark. Therefore, Kim Ki-Rok always set up a timer when he faced the Shark Fishfolk in the Labyrinth of Adanta. After Mirror expired, Kim Ki-Rok's physical abilities would inevitably decrease to his level-appropriate numbers, and he would become an easy one-hit kill.

"Alright, then."

He could also wait until Berserker ended, but Kim Ki-Rok instead prepared himself. He could expect an increase in stats after this confrontation with the Shark Fishfolk.

BAM!

Kim Ki-Rok timed his advance and charged forward.

***

"Status window."

[

Kim Ki-Rok

]

Level: 32

Strength: 36

Vitality: 34

Magic: 33

Willpower: 39

Skills: Record (E), Time Rabbit's Luggage (S), Mirror (C)

"I went up 14 levels."

Kim Ki-Rok's level instantly rose to 32 after slaying a Level 60 monster. There was no problem with this, as the entry condition only prevented Hunters over Level 20 from entering.

Kim Ki-Rok pulled out a sharp knife from the subspace pocket and retrieved the mana stones from the bodies of Shark Fishfolk and the forcibly imbued mana stone with a quick blow from his blade. One was B-Class, and the other was a C-Class mana stone.

Satisfied with his spoils of battle, Kim Ki-Rok summoned the Spirits from the mana stone once again.

"You're not hurt."

Kim Ki-Rok said exasperatedly, "I was in a pickle because it used

Berserker

."

The spirits chuckled at his exaggeration.

"Now, how many trap passages and monster rooms are left?"

"Five in total. Well, at this pace, we should be able to meet the Ogre within three hours."

"It took two days as you had initially planned."

He was about to clear the infamous Labyrinth of Adanta in just two days.

Kim Ki-Rok advanced again, destroying traps along the way. As they moved forward, they witnessed the giant Ogre now reduced to skins and bones. Although it had been converting mana into Vitality, its mana consumption was more significant than the generated Vitality.

Despite seeing Kim Ki-Rok and the spirits walking in the passage, the Ogre couldn't move a single finger. It stared blankly into space with eyes full of despair.

"Even if it is a monster..." a spirit started.

"Yes. This is a bit pitiful," replied another.

"More than just a bit. It must have spent hellish days trapped in the maze made by Adanta and feeling hungry."

It wasn't as if the monster had willingly inscribed the magic circle on its own body, accepted Adanta's proposal, and settled down in the maze.

Kim Ki-Rok agreed that it was a pitiful situation, but the thing in front of him was a monster, not a human. It was an apex predator which had preyed on many humans. Until the massive earthquake that had collapsed the entrance and left the mana stone broken, the Ogre had devoured several expedition teams from various kingdoms.

Not sensing any danger left, Kim Ki-Rok walked confidently toward the Ogre and threw a round-shaped poison pellet into its slightly ajar mouth.

All vital signs of the Ogre ceased five minutes after the poison was administered.

"Appraisal."

[

Ogre's Corpse

]

Description: The skin and bones of an Ogre's corpse

Once the treasure trove was cleared out, this Gate would be considered cleared. Kim Ki-Rok equipped the only C-Class artifact looted from Treasure Goblin long ago, along with an Ice Blade to take advantage of its effect.

The cold blade sliced through the Ogre's skin and easily revealed its bones, which Kim Ki-Rok extracted and stored in his subspace pocket.

"

Phew!

"

He had destroyed all traps and dealt with all living monsters. The special reward condition was fulfilled. Kim Ki-Rok took out the B-Class mana stone that had been forcibly engrained into the Shark Fishfolk and inserted it into a small slot at the entrance of the treasure trove.

Woooong.

As mana was supplied, a deep, resonant hum reverberated and the wall descended, revealing an additional pile of treasures.

"For Ji-Hee!"

"Find Ji-Hee's equipment! For Ji-Hee!"

The spirits flew to the treasure trove to find equipment that seemed like it would fit Kim Ji-Hee.