23 – Banquet (4)
“The door to the realm has opened.”
“Yes?”
The girl, confirming the tilt of the scales, closed her notebook.
The flowers on the tomb placed on one side had withered to a blackened state.
The spirits of the wandering souls, who were once outside the realm, were being drawn into the door created by the king of the realm, not the embrace of paradise.
Recently, there had been signs of demons within the tower, just like the witches. This was the first time since the era of the “Torchbearer” adventurers who swept the continent began to wane.
“Livra, could it be that a change has occurred in the tower?”
“The expression ‘occurred’ is inaccurate, Baker. Someone ‘brought’ it.”
Witches bring their kin.
Vampires bring blood.
The dead crave death instinctively.
If the door to the realm has opened in the grand labyrinth that is nothing more than a maze made of stone, there must be an intention to grant someone’s death hidden within.
“Then shall we immediately send the magicians of the Hundred Families to investigate? Or should we gather the Pillars in the name of the Seven Sages?”
“No magician can easily intervene while the trial is underway. The post-mortem investigation will be handled by the other direct descendants in the middle layer, not me.”
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the sight of pure-blooded magicians gathering together.
If I’m bored, should I go down to the middle layer?
You will see the spectacle of Meteo fiercely fighting with fire magic or ice magic.
Unlike Livra, who yawns leisurely, Baker, who is in charge of practical matters as the head disciple, was anxious.
Due to the nature of “Libra, who pays the price,” there was a side effect of reducing lifespan if an inexperienced person forcibly draws out the power of mystery.
Astrological magicians aim for gradual and chronic growth.
The increasing difficulty of the trial meant that it would chip away at the potential of the rookies.
“Our court attendants are in there as well. They’re still inexperienced in handling mysteries…”
“It’s okay. The damage probably won’t be too severe.”
“Did you figure that out using your Libra ability?”
“No.”
Libra shook her head.
Even sacrificing one-tenth of the souls bound to the “Noble Layer” of future divination was not enough.
The reason she could assert this was based on the predictions she had made so far, using the information she had gathered.
Instead of the flowers that had turned into graves, a new wreath was placed on the scales.
The “scales that impose a price” began to weigh the souls, and records that were originally inaccessible started to become visible.
—–
— Administrator: I’m planning to go catch that runaway troublemaker.
— Administrator: Answer.
— Wall Thunder Brain Emperor: I’m listening.
— May you be blessed: Me too (๑•﹏•)
— Hoot Hoot Hootie: Hoot.
— Administrator: Since I haven’t been able to manage the forum, I hope you guys can take care of the troublemakers on your own.
— Administrator: If you guys fill in the gap without any new troublemakers this time, we can have a meeting.
— Administrator: But come to think of it, why am I asking you guys for a favor?
— Administrator: Hootie.
– Hoot hoot hoot: Hoot.
– Administrator: Tang!
– Hoot hoot hoot: Hoo…
– Administrator: Call him Su.
—–
Libra, after checking Ju-ddak’s profile, immediately closed the location note.
He had no interest in a gallery without Ju-ddak.
However, at the same time, by suddenly hiding his appearance during this period, he was getting one step closer to his true identity.
The Paradise of the 92nd floor.
In the center of the garden, filled only with tombstones and flowers, there was a monument as large as the monument that the Topju had erected.
The only difference from the first floor was that this place was filled only with writings by one person.
They were all contents about Ju-ddak that Libra had obtained through the Libra so far.
[Ju-ddak dislikes the gallery getting dirty.]
[Ju-ddak likes women with big chests.]
[Ju-ddak is attached to the ice dispenser.]
[Ju-ddak likes mint chocolate.]
[Ju-ddak supports the spear in the spear vs. sword debate.]
[Ju-ddak doesn’t think Meteor is ice magic.]
[Ju-ddak has the remains of the disappeared dragons.]
[Ju-ddak…]
[Jutak can sense the movements of souls]
[Jutak can interfere with the trials of the magic tower]
[Jutak is currently on the 10th floor]
“Ah~ I wanted to participate too.”
As she wrote down the new information she learned today on the tombstone, she murmured to herself.
If only she had the chance, she was confident that she would do really well. She wanted Jutak to love her.
Her desire to dedicate this paradise to the Naktong and cross over to the Demigorge was as solid as a chimney, but she couldn’t do that.
If Jutak, with such skills, decided to hide her feelings, she would definitely not be able to find her even if she stood right in front of her.
“The 10th floor… Should I at least go down to the middle floor?”
Because if she were to receive any mistreatment from him, she wouldn’t have the courage to live anymore.
Setting aside her regret as the “Astronomical Cemetery Keeper,” she sought another way to meet the gallery owner.
*
“Gasp, cough! Wait, just a moment!”
“Klark! Stop right there!”
I fired my spear at everything approaching without carrying a location note, while exploring the labyrinth.
Thanks to the doll given by Prina, I could see relatively clearly even in the darkness.
Unlike me, who would rush forward at every crossroad, the magicians lacked stamina.
Arthur approached me and asked if we were going in the right direction.
“Is this the way to the exit? I don’t doubt your abilities, but you haven’t hesitated at all since earlier…”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“I sense three paths, and two of them overlap, but the remaining one is leading us.”
Adventurers each have their own unique ‘sense’.
Just as magicians search for a school that suits their nature, adventurers’ senses also differ from one another.
In my case, it was tuned to finding the target that the tip of my spear would touch.
I couldn’t be sure what lay at the end, but at least one of the three was definitely the gate to the afterworld.
“Wait, only one? Why aren’t we going towards the two that are together?”
“There’s nothing I’m looking for there.”
The labyrinth exploration that was originally planned to be leisurely had transformed into a timed attack.
Before coming here, I closed the ‘Tactical Nuclear Research Institute’ bulletin board and blocked all those involved, but their influence was still lingering.
If I, who was responsible for this, took too long to clear the gallery, I didn’t know how much loss of life would occur during that time.
Even if the guards were doing their best to stop them, the number of people exposed to danger would only increase.
I had to find Marielle quickly and throw her outside. Only her mystery could serve as the only deterrent to a nuclear war.
“If everyone’s rested, let’s run. We’re almost there.”
“R-Really?”
After moving for nearly seven hours without rest, I finally felt the coldness washing away the sweat on my forehead.
I also saw the occasional frozen corpses of the undead along the way.
As soon as I discovered the passage blocked by a huge ice in the labyrinth, I immediately opened my location notes.
Although I couldn’t access the gallery, I could detect signals from numerous notes inside.
“This is it.”
I placed my hand on the ice wall and attempted interference with the disruptor.
It was still a first-level magic, but everything depended on compatibility.
For someone like me who had been constantly licking Vina’s ice cake, the first-level ice magic of a zero-year magician was like eating shaved ice.
As I concentrated, gradually breaking down the verses that constituted the spell, the magic was dispelled the moment Arthur and his party arrived.
Snap!!
“Whoa!?”
“Eek!”
“Who, who’s there…!”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Don’t worry! We are the Meteor Order!”
“To think you were hiding here. Clark’s guidance was accurate.”
The mages of the Glesian Order, who had gathered inside, screamed when they saw me.
Having already spent over three days in the labyrinth, they were already covered in curses mingled with the mist.
Although it was difficult to distinguish who was who among these beasts, I followed my instincts and headed towards the innermost part.
And I poked my lance at the yellow-feathered bird’s head that had fallen asleep in the corner.
“Eek!? W-who are you! Disturbing my sweet rest!”
“I came to catch you.”
“Th-the caretaker!?”
Hmm, familiar screams.
They’ve come to the right place.
*
“We couldn’t break through the horde of undead pouring in from the exit.”
“So, we decided to stage a protest here?”
“If we hold out for four more days, they’ll automatically be sent to the 9th floor.”
“That’s impossible.”
“What?”
I raised my head upon hearing Sera’s words, who had intended to stage a protest here even if the climb failed.
The Gate of the Afterlife is a summoning formation that releases the undead, or the deceased, among the demons.
It’s not just simple magic, but more akin to the mysterious “Universal Parchment” of the summoning faction that must be quickly eliminated.
Currently, the level of the undead wandering around the Grand Labyrinth seems to be limited to those who came out of the first gate, but over time, the second and third gates will open as well.
“Unbelievable…!”
Sera’s expression upon hearing that… I couldn’t tell because of the curse, but it seemed like she didn’t know either.
Anyway, it was impossible to hold out like this. We had to get out of here.
I could probably break through the first gate, which hadn’t fully opened yet, even on my own, but the problem was the undead that had already been released.
“Are there any other mages from different factions nearby?”
“We tried to coordinate as much as possible on the way here, but there are still some remaining.”
“It would be best to divide the personnel. Those who can move should gather as many survivors as possible, and we will head towards the gate.”
“Do the undead speak like us? Do they have the ability to distinguish themselves in the fog?”
“If that’s the case, there’s no problem.”
Unlike me, who could check the coordinates of all the location notes, the mages of Meteor and Glesia had no means to identify Pia.
But in response to my question, Arthur nodded confidently.
Has he reached the point where he can even distinguish the fur color of the living and the dead?
My question, which had puzzled me, was soon answered.
“Hey, over there!”
“Hm!? Yes?”
“What kind of magic is Meteor?”
“Su, Summon…?”
“Kill!”
Fire, or maybe ice.
The surviving mages in the labyrinth had no choice but to abandon their beliefs in order to survive.