Chapter 393

Chapter 393
## Chapter 393: Labyrinth of Tremors.

—

Labyrinth City.

Following the conclusion of the contest for the ‘Abyssal Labyrinth’, the territory was officially recognized as a city belonging to the ‘Ojuryeok’. Despite this, it remained a region that numerous alliances and guilds blacklisted as a land of no return.

This classification was only logical, considering the White King himself had claimed it as a stronghold for the Ojuryeok.

Any potential conflict within those borders meant risking a war against the collective might of every monster in the North.

Yet, despite its fearsome reputation, this location maintained a surprisingly high level of contact with the human world.

The reason was simple: the individual managing the city’s affairs was a human.

The legendary trader, Hudson!

Speculation regarding his identity was rampant, though his history remained largely obscured, with his only verified past being the management of an auction house within the ‘Golden City of Arcana’.

-The solitary human bridge to the North.

-A titan of commerce known as the ‘Monster Merchant’, controlling the flow of all Northern goods.

-Even the heads of the three great merchant guilds must pull a ticket and wait their turn for an audience with Hudson.

Throughout Pangenia, Hudson’s status as a ‘great merchant’ was undisputed.

He had succeeded in ventures where the three great merchant guilds had repeatedly failed.

His proficiency in harvesting the North’s rarest commodities and his apparent influence over monster-kind were nothing short of miraculous.

Whenever he was pressed for the secret to his success, he would merely offer a humble shrug, claiming he ‘was lucky’.

The exact circumstances of how he rose to become the functional ruler of Labyrinth City remained a mystery to all.

Furthermore, while some level of ‘interaction’ existed between humans and the city, no outsider possessed an accurate understanding of what the ‘labyrinth’ actually entailed.

-The gates of the labyrinth must remain sealed.

-That domain is a living nightmare. The moment those stone doors part, damnation itself is unleashed.

-Do not let the tranquil scenery of ‘Labyrinth City’ viewed via a warp gate deceive you.

There were two primary avenues for entering Labyrinth City.

The first involved a warp point that granted entry to the civilian settlement established inside the perimeter.

The second required unbarring the main castle gate of the labyrinth to enter through the front.

While the former was accessible to anyone with the right credentials and offered total protection, the latter presented a fatal problem for those attempting a forced breach.

This was the core reason Labyrinth City was feared as a forbidden zone.

…The instant one crossed the threshold of the castle gate, the true ‘labyrinth’ revealed its face.

One would understand with terrifying clarity why the title ‘Labyrinth City’ was bestowed upon the place.

Hudson had ensured that every detail regarding the inner workings of the maze remained a strictly guarded secret.

He had crafted the environment so that no one could map the route to the core or identify the horrors standing in their way.

-A summit of riches awaits at the labyrinth’s heart.

-The Labyrinth City hides hoards of wealth so vast they would incite the greed of ancient dragons!

-I witnessed it personally. A Golden Goblin and even a Golden Goblin Lord!

Naturally, such warnings did little to deter the spirit of adventurers.

Instead, a multitude of seekers, driven by insatiable curiosity, attempted the challenge only to be met with total failure.

As the years rolled by, accounts grew more fantastic; with reality and myth intertwining, the city became a mandatory destination for any sellsword dreaming of a fortune.

Despite the fervor, not a single soul had ever successfully reached the labyrinth’s conclusion.

The primary motivation that kept them trying was the confirmed presence of ‘Golden Goblins’.

Their population here was unmatched by any other settlement.

There were even documented sightings of a ‘Golden Goblin Lord’.

In simple terms:

It signified that a mountain of treasure, far exceeding the wealth of any other city, was hidden within.

A true adventurer’s heart could not help but race at such a prospect.

Nevertheless, even now, the labyrinth stood as an ‘unconquered’ enigma.

Was it the complexity of the shifting corridors?

Or was it the impossibility of a full-scale siege due to the political shadow of the White King?

Neither.

The labyrinth.

The fundamental reason Labyrinth City was considered ‘unconquerable’ was….

—

As the heavy castle gates groaned open.

The Thunder Lion and the group of Executors found themselves doubting the evidence of their own senses.

*Thump!*

*Rumble!*

Colossal entities of staggering proportions were the first to greet them.

Beasts so massive that the very crust of the earth vibrated with every stride they took.

…Hydragons, creatures resembling dragons but sporting nine distinct heads!

“…These are far from typical Hydragons.”

“They appear to be mutant specimens wielding a variety of elemental attributes.”

“Indeed. These were not bred in any human laboratory.”

“To find wild… naturally occurring Hydragons congregating in such a manner is unheard of.”

“Could these mutated variants be interbreeding?”

“…This defies logic.”

The Executors performed a swift assessment of the Hydragons’ capabilities.

Even with the evidence before them, skepticism remained.

Dominating a wild Hydragon was a feat of extreme difficulty, and coaxing several to live and reproduce in a single habitat was deemed a biological impossibility.

Wild Hydragons were notoriously violent toward their own kind.

Yet here, a collection of evolved and mutated individuals stood together.

How could such a thing be orchestrated?

“A Hydragon Lord….”

…If a sovereign existed among them, such order was possible.

At the very least, a lord could suppress their lethal instincts toward one another.

However, a ‘Hydragon Lord’ was a creature of myth, never before recorded in history.

And yet, a beast that fit the description loomed before them.

Deep in the background.

At the furthest reaches of the Executors’ perception.

A Hydragon, towering at twice the height of its peers, kept a silent vigil over the newcomers.

“…It is clearly observing us.”

“But it shows no sign of aggression.”

This was the domain of Phantom.

Starting a pointless fight was the last thing they wanted to do.

The Executors pushed forward into the subsequent sector.

‘The sheer weight of the atmosphere at the very entrance is staggering.’

The Thunder Lion felt a surge of internal trepidation.

Most high-tier warriors would lose their nerve before even clearing the first gate.

Unless they were prepared to sacrifice their lives just to reach the next room.

It seemed a minimum of Level 11 would be required just to stand before a Hydragon Lord and its mutant brood.

However, upon stepping into the second area, the Thunder Lion’s assessment shifted again.

*Caw—!*

*Caaaaw—!*

“Corpse Crows?”

“Those are no ordinary scavengers. We are looking at a different species entirely.”

“Omen Birds…!”

“Avert your gaze! Do not look them in the eye!”

Their silhouettes mirrored those of Corpse Crows, but their power was on an entirely different scale from common carrion birds.

They were Omen Birds.

Beings that had reached the pinnacle of evolution through countless cycles of death and rebirth.

The moment their eyes met, the Omen Birds’ gaze seemed to brand itself onto the Executors’ physical forms.

A barrage of malevolent hexes descended upon them.

‘To suffer such a curse merely from a glance!’

The saving grace was that these creatures, too, were not actively hunting them.

The curse was a passive defense, triggered automatically by eye contact.

When the group cast their eyes to the ground, the weight of the hexes lifted instantly.

…It was unnerving.

The Executors were all Transcendents.

As avatars of ‘Phantom’, they represented the peak of individual perfection.

If a mere glance could do this much, then should those Omen Birds choose to focus their malice….

‘Even we would struggle to survive that encounter.’

A cold bead of sweat tracked down his spine.

These were clearly monstrosities that existed outside known ecological records.

Anyone less than a Transcendent would have been snuffed out instantly.

‘What kind of place is this labyrinth….’

First the Hydragons, now these; anomalies were becoming the standard.

He dreaded to think what the next sector held.

With eyes fixed firmly on the stones beneath their feet, they moved on.

When they crossed the threshold of the third area.

“….”

“….”

Silence fell over the group once more.

In truth, they dared not make a sound.

Undead.

The walking dead had been reanimated and stood in a grim line before them.

These were no mindless ghouls or basic zombies.

-A Lich.

The entity revered as the sovereign of the undead was present.

A raid-level boss capable of commanding legions of dark mages and summoning Death Knights at will.

There were no fewer than seven of them.

Standard military doctrine required four Transcendents working in perfect unison to bring down a single Lich.

But, like the beasts before them, these were not typical Liches.

‘An Arch… Lich…!’

An Archlich existed on a plane of power far beyond its lesser kin.

Even more shocking was the fact that these seven ‘Archliches’ were acting as sentries for something else.

‘The Silent Cradle.’

It resembled a massive cocoon, but its true nature was a vessel for growth.

The seven Archliches were protecting the occupant of that cradle.

Now, the truth was undeniable.

The reason no seeker had ever seen the end of this maze.

The reason the entire world deemed it unconquerable.

【Master of the Cradle, Ancient Species Andasar】
【Lv. 14~?】

…The name burned itself into the Executors’ vision.

The Master of the Cradle made no effort to mask its presence.

Instead, it looked down upon them with a cold, divine arrogance from within its shell.

The message was clear: retreat now or perish.

Vacate its territory immediately.

‘…And even this creature is not the final guardian.’

The Thunder Lion felt a wave of vertigo.

Of all the countless labyrinths scattered across the face of Pangenia, he had never encountered a dungeon of this magnitude.

The most terrifying realization was that Andasar was just another gatekeeper.

He stopped trying to imagine what lay beyond the next door.

The word “dungeon” felt inadequate for something this powerful.

This place…

‘It is more accurate to call it an abyss.’

A secondary abyss on the surface.

They continued their trek.

The concept of challenging the Master of the Cradle was dismissed as suicide.

Eventually, they exited the final combat zone.

“Is this…?”

“Have we reached the end?”

A world of a completely different nature opened up.

Radiant light filled a monumental palace.

And at its heart, a fire roared.

【The First Flame】

A blaze so brilliant it threatened to sear their retinas!

They stood in awe, captivated by the light.

Instinct told them the truth.

This was the terminus of the labyrinth.

*Thud.*

*Thud.*

The rhythmic sound of boots on stone echoed through the hall.

As the footsteps drew closer, the Executors turned to face the source.

“I bid you all welcome.”

“…Hudson.”

The Thunder Lion was the first to speak.

He recognized Hudson from a previous encounter.

They had crossed paths at the ‘Special Auction’ held within the Empire.

Back then, the Thunder Lion had held the power to ‘purge’ the merchant, but now, the power dynamic was utterly inverted.

“How did you find your stroll through the labyrinth?”

“It was horrifying.”

There wasn’t a single entity they had passed that didn’t inspire dread.

If steel had been drawn, half their number would likely be dead.

Hudson’s face fell into an expression of mock sympathy.

“Ah… that is a shame. I tried to lead you through the most secure and direct route, but it seems it was still taxing.”

“…You consider that the most secure route?”

The merchant was delusional.

The speed of the path was one thing, but safety?

Every creature they met was the antithesis of safe.

Hudson gave a cheerful nod.

“Indeed. Had you strayed into the other sectors, none of you would have made it this far.”

“….”

The merchant spoke with such absolute certainty that it left them speechless.

It was infuriating.

They were the Executors—absolute titans composed of Transcendents.

Yet here was a man speaking to them with total casualness.

Still, the Thunder Lion couldn’t find the words to refute him.

“You see, those sectors are the only ones currently under some semblance of management, haha.”

“…And what exactly resides in the sectors that aren’t managed?”

“Hmm. Ancient horrors that exist for no other reason than to destroy anything that breathes.”

“I find myself curious.”

“It is a curiosity you should bury. And for your own sake, do not even dream of trying to enter those areas.”

Hudson offered a warm, friendly smile.

But the Thunder Lion could see the steel hidden behind the merchant’s eyes.

…Information was irrelevant.

‘The Empire itself would find this place an impossible nut to crack.’

This was the pinnacle of fortification.

Of all the cities in existence, this one possessed the most impregnable defenses.

Even a direct imperial invasion would likely break against these walls.

“Regardless, we have been expecting you. Avatars of ‘Phantom’! The survivors who have reclaimed their past and endured.”

Hudson performed another polite bow.

Then, emerging from the shadows behind him, other ‘avatars’ stepped into the light.

Isabella,

Isaac,

Valte.

The recognition was instantaneous.

He knew they were of the same origin as himself.

And he knew each was a master of power that few could rival.

-Stay on your guard. Some among them will outmatch you, and others are driven by an unyielding will. Be wary of those ‘three’ in particular.

The warning from the man with the fishing rod echoed in his mind.

The three individuals he needed to fear.

“Are you the three I was warned about?”

Isaac cocked his head to the side.

“…What are you talking about?”

“No… ignore me. It isn’t you.”

The Thunder Lion quickly dismissed the thought.

It wasn’t this group.

The warning hadn’t been about the three standing in this hall.

The man had been referring to a ‘three’ who had yet to arrive.

Beings stationed in distant lands.

They had to be monsters even more formidable than the elite gathered here.

And yet, even they would likely fail to navigate this labyrinth without taking heavy losses.

Settling his nerves, the Thunder Lion asked the final question.

“Where can we find ‘Phantom’?”

Isabella answered without hesitation.

“He is right here.”

“….?”