Chapter 112

112th Episode

The Nymph Cultist and Pluto’s Underground Maze

112 – The Nymph Cultist and Pluto’s Underground Maze #10

When exploring a dungeon, each member needs to have a defined role.

First, I stood at the front line. Since I don’t know what might charge from ahead, my larger frame could act as the primary defense.

Right behind me stood Luna, holding a totem made of canaries. If Luna senses any threat, I can immediately respond.

Further behind her, positioned in the middle of our procession, was the mage Belmina — the core member for conquering this maze.

A mage engrossed in spellcasting becomes defenseless; thus, positioning her centrally allows her to be protected from both the front and back.

Guarding behind her was Paranoi, who wasn’t particularly useful. If all else fails, she could serve as a shield for the mage.

Additionally, placing her beside a powerful mage like Belmina seemed like a good way to keep her in check, ensuring she wouldn’t do anything suspicious within Pluto’s shrine.

Finally, at the very back, keeping watch as our rear guard was the dwarf warrior Didier, wielding an axe.

Excluding the nervous Luna and Paranoi, our formation of two warriors guarding both the front and rear, with a single mage in the middle, was quite stable.

“Let’s stick to the plan. Do not touch anything suspicious and consult me if you notice anything strange.”

“Understood. Hmm, this is making me quite tense. But Party Leader, you’re reliable and inspiring confidence.”

Phew.

After sighing softly, I slowly moved my legs toward the gaping entrance, which resembled the jaws of hell.

Plash, plash.

The moment we stepped from the reed field into the maze corridor, a strange chill, as if licking my face, sent shivers down my spine.

It felt like we had entered an entirely different world. Looking at the dark corridor ahead, all I wanted to do was turn and leave.

“Hmm… This is suffocating. Honestly, I don’t want to go deeper inside. Facing that group of thieves from yesterday would’ve been easier.”

Didier, who had valiantly confronted the thieves, seemed frightened, swallowing his fear. Such is the typical reaction for most people entering a maze for the first time; nothing unusual.

“This is the deep earth magic, seeping with hellish forces… It somewhat resembles something I have felt before. Chilling, but not like ice.”

The mage Belmina seemed to sense something different.

“Nymph. You’re a cultist, so you must know a lot about underground mazes. What can you tell us about this Kalan maze?”

“M, many things… The privilege to enter the maze is granted only to silver tier priests or higher, so even I am here for the first time…”

Siberual? Paranoi is also experiencing the maze for the first time?

Compared to Skizo or Somnia, Paranoi appears to be merely a novice cultist playing make-believe.

Amidst everyone’s somber mood, Luna was the only one strangely excited.

“Dark and damp – just like the place where Noks resided…! There were many such caves in Ideope. It brings back memories.”

Perhaps, as the daughter of the goddess of night, she doesn’t feel any oppressive aura in such dim places.

According to an encyclopedia, the goddess of the night, Noks, resides at the edge of the labyrinth, in a place called Tartarus, the underworld.

Maybe for Luna, this exploration feels like returning to her mother’s home. That could explain why she isn’t afraid.

“Well, let’s proceed deeper. Try to keep the torch lit as much as possible.”

Seeing Luna doing just fine calmed my inner worry, giving me confidence.

*

Contrary to my initial fear, the maze exploration was proceeding smoothly without encountering any cruel or horrifying traps.

Everywhere we went, all we encountered was a large number of old jars greeting us.

“Hassan, there are loads of jars!”

Ding!

Luna was busy swinging her Silence Totem, breaking jars one after the other. Out of them emerged strange creatures resembling crabs with hard shells.

Gik, Gik!

Creatures in the dungeon that make their homes in jars or abandoned boxes.

Mimics.

Gik, Gik, Gik!

A mimic shaped like a crab approached us holding a jar, as it lunged. It was about the size of a large dog, which gave it considerable presence.

“F—ing little f—.”

Hooon, Puk, Jang!

With my club, I shattered the jars, and the mimics collapsed, lying motionless with their bellies exposed, much like they had fainted.

“As easy as eating cold porridge. Still, beware of their pincers because it hurts when caught. But as long as you watch out for the pincers, there’s not much else to worry about, so don’t be overly scared.”

“Trembling and fearing was worth it. Now it’s not that hard. Mimics are valuable ingredients for cooking and here we are getting them for free.”

Didier, the dwarf cook, chopped the mimic bodies and stored them in his bag.

“These are ancient primitive lettering. Perhaps they could provide clues on how to use hellish magic. I’ll take notes to report to the academic society…”

And Belmina, the mage, continued to jot down whatever was written on the walls, which seemed to be a mix of characters and pictures.

The group had quickly adapted to the maze situation, making their earlier fear seem quite amusing.

After all, this maze was rated at a relatively low difficulty level, worthy of being assessed as a Bronze grade.

Furthermore, our current party comprised promising Bronze Tier adventurers from within the guild; therefore, it was natural for things to progress smoothly.

Gik, Gik, Gik!

The only monsters appearing thus far have been mimics, which are about as tough as grains of rice. Mimics were so easy to manage even with bare hands during my days of slavery.

They are feeble creatures that flip over and faint at the slightest shock; if you know their weakness, even elementary school kids could handle them.

“This is too easy.”

Even with the increased difficulty due to the party of five, the ease of the exploration left me slightly disheartened.

While it’s good for jobs to end quickly when they’re easy, it also means that the quality of the rewards will decrease.

We might end up carrying away only junk and mimic corpses, without finding any rare relics.

Is this all there is?

While I was feeling a bit bored amidst such thoughts,

“Um… Hassan sir, shall we go back outside even now…?”

Paranoi was the only one among us who was still unable to adapt to the dampness of this maze, her legs trembling.

Does she dislike dark and enclosed spaces? When I touched her wrist, she didn’t seem to have claustrophobia.

“Um… I’ve heard about this. The priest Coma assigned to oversee Kalan’s maze. It’s rumored that in the deeper sections, there’s a terrifying monster… I can feel Coma’s magic here. This must be the maze!”

As soon as she mentioned the priest Coma, I distinctly felt the weight of the pendant around my neck increase.

This relic pendant used to belong to a female priest of the cult who died in this underground maze. I had forgotten until now, but her name was Coma.

“Ko… Coma was one of the most powerful necromancers among the cultists. No matter what she hid down there, it’s definitely not normal!”

Paranoi seemed half-crazed. She even fidgeted, as if she were about to dash away to the entrance immediately.

But we had already ventured deep into the maze, and even turning back would take at least an hour.

Out of curiosity, I was about to check what the others thought when suddenly…

Zhip, Zhip, Zhip.

From the cage in Luna’s hand, the night canary that had been sleeping quietly began to chirp like a broken radio.

“What’s wrong with it chirping now? It didn’t chirp when there were mimics around. I thought it was broken.”

Luna, looking confused at the cage, soon widened her emerald eyes.

“Monster, Monster! I think something is coming! Hassan!”

A monster was coming? Goblins? Skeletons? Anything would do right now since our party was in top condition!

“Finally, it looks like we’re going to experience the true labyrinth. Everyone, get prepared! It could come from anywhere!”

Shouting those words with determination, I quickly realized there was something massive stirring in the dark ahead, where we intended to proceed.

Rak… Rak…

Coma. It was Coma, or so I thought at first. But no, this was someone else. Could it be an unknown visitor? There was a dwarf, a nymph, two strange karma figures, and a mage…

As the sound of metal scraping against the ground grew, a gigantic figure emerged. Its presence made the wide hallway feel cramped and suffocating.

We were all so overwhelmed by the towering silhouette that we forgot how to speak.

The figure was covered in thick black hair, and each of its slab-like hands had only four thick fingers.

Rak…

In the giant’s hand, a long spear-like weapon ended with a large double-edged ax dragging against the ground, spitting sparks. It must’ve been a halberd, they call it.

The lower half of its body was characterized by powerful legs resembling thick columns, and large hooves that appeared to support its enormous structure.

The creature was undeniably terrifying upon sight.

At the sight of this beast, Luna spoke aloud.

“Gee, black fur… Hassan, could this be another Samaritan? Can we talk it out nicely, given it might be another Samaritan?”

Apparently, Luna saw the black hair on the figure and assumed it to be another Samaritan. What exactly did Luna understand by Samaritan?

But as far as I could tell, it was not human at all – not the savage type of Samaritan, but a beast.

More importantly, it didn’t have a head! The space on its shoulders where the head should be was empty! Moving without a head…!

“Oh f—, it’s a Minotaur Dullahan! Party Leader Hassan, we have to run!”

At these words, the headless figure revealed a cow’s head attached to its torso, opening its mouth in what looked like a sinister grin.

Escape isn’t an option. You’ll be heading straight into my gut, a gateway to Tartarus. That’s my duty.

Rak, Rak!

Kung, Bang, Kung Kung!

The large figure with the giant axe came charging at us, dragging its weapon and sparking flames on the ground. It felt as if I had just stepped into train tracks, destined to meet with a suicidal end.

“Ice Wall!”

At that moment, an ice pillar sprang up in the hallway, instantly blocking the space between the creature and us.

“Quick, run! Minotaur’s aren’t opponents we can fight!”

Uooohhh!

Behind the ice barrier, the sound of the monstrous cow figure roaring echoed through the maze, almost shaking the air out of my lungs.

Crack. Crack crack.

As the creature swung its axe, cracks began to form in the robust ice wall.

“Hurry! My magic won’t last long! I need to prepare for my next spell…”

No sooner had the mage finished speaking,

Crash.

The ice wall created by magic shattered.

Mages, the hearts of mages are quite nutritious. I’ll eat you first.

“Scrap, Hassan, if we run, we’ll be caught anyway! Leader Hassan! Let’s fight!”

Didier lifted his axe, preparing for the headless giant. The monster chuckled deeply, as if amused.

A dwarf? Mmm, I don’t like the taste of dwarves, but I smell something delicious from you. Are you hiding some special sauce?

“Ah, so you’re a creature knowledgeable about cooking, eh? Am I supposed to fall for your tricks, Didier, son of Trogluz?”

Your vigor suggests you’re quite healthy. Son of Trogluz, Didier. I am the bull of Crete and the guardian of Labors. Asterius.”

“d*e, you bull brat! You’re so big! That means so much beef!”

You’re Asterius, then. Very well.

Thud.

Didier jumped, swinging his double axes in a powerful downward strike toward the giant’s massive body.

Whoosh.

Just before the sharp metal edge connected with the ghastly bovine shoulder…

Crash!

The bull’s pillar-like fist hammered Didier’s small body, smashing him into the wall.

“Khruk!”

3 points. Now I see, you have one leg shorter. Your balance is off. If the rest of you is similar in level, that’s slightly disappointing.

Clank.

The cowhead holding the halberd planted it into the ground, then began to wag an empty hand tauntingly.

Hey, big human. With the black hair, we’re half-friends. But the quality of your hair is poor. Two points. Such a nice black hair deserves better care.

sh*t, this guy’s ratings are ridiculous.

But it was somewhat of a relief that his attention had shifted to me instead of the soft women.

“Luna, take the others and run down the way we came.”

“H, but Hassan, that thing really seems strong…”

“I’ll try to buy some time, so take the others and run!”

“T, Hassan…”

“Luna, when someone tells you to escape, just do it! We’ll all d*e if we stay like this!”

Cold and calculating, the ice mage, Belmina grabbed Luna’s shoulder and dragged her away. If that monster had decided to attack at that moment, it would’ve been horrifying.

The giant monster surprisingly watched the scene calmly.

What’re you gonna do now? Watching does have its rewards sometimes. It’s touching, but quite a cliched drama. Three points.

“Thanks for the review, you headless dumbass.”

I tightened my grip on my club. At the same time, my eyes turned toward Didier the fallen warrior, groaning near the monster’s feet.

If someone dies during this expedition, it would be considered a direct failure on my part as the party leader. I can’t lose points in the ranking when I should be aiming for the Gold tier adventurer!

But Didier seems to have severe wounds to his internal organs and bones, as he’s vomiting bl**d and lying lifelessly.

Are you worried about the fallen ally? Don’t bother. I don’t do ugly things like taking hostages. Even so, I’m stronger than you.

sh*t, even though the head’s chopped off, he’s quick-witted enough.

He may look eerie without a head, but one thing is certain: the creature before me is an incredibly strong warrior. The way my legs are trembling, about the same level as Hippolyte or Skizo.

If this guy charges toward me with his huge body, how long can I even hold out? If I even think about running, there’s no way I can win.

I need to figure out how to take him down.

Should I sneak around to an unseen corner and ambush him using the veil of Nok’s shadows? But if I do that, what about Dieter who’s lying there?

While I was deep in thought,

Now I understand.

The head in the creature’s hand slowly opened its mouth.

I missed it because the pink-haired female’s strange karma was obscuring it, but now I get it. You’re the child of Nok. This karma feels exactly like the lowly Theseus.

“I’m the child of Nok? You’re wrong, stupid! You’re full of it, idiot!”

The bullhead laughed heartily.

Puhh, you’re planning to lie, hmm? But you can’t deceive my eyes. It’s said that the child of night and darkness stole an empty throne. Looks like it was hidden in the mortal world to escape rivals…!

[Work Afterword]

Micruri here..

Let’s dive in…

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