Chapter 70

*

《The battle has ended.》

《36 points will be distributed according to contribution.》

《Randolph 10 points, Isaac 10 points, Isabella 16 points》

《Points can be earned and used in various events.》

《You have obtained a fragment of the Broken Golden Rule for 10h 11m.》

As soon as the barbarian was defeated, the points were settled.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Isabella, drenched in sweat, caught her breath.

Then, a golden wave rose from the dead barbarian's body and was absorbed by her.

“Isabella, how much has the Golden Rule increased?”

“Huff... It has increased by 16 hours and 27 minutes.”

Roughly 16 hours.

There seemed to be a relationship between the points and the fragments of the Golden Rule she possessed.

This also meant that if someone killed me, they could instantly gain over 900 points.

Swish!

A hand stretched out from the wall toward the corpse.

As I watched all the corpses being absorbed by the wall, I furrowed my brow slightly and asked.

“Did the Queen of the Desert also participate?”

“...I don't know. However, given the presence of the barbarians, we can't rule out that possibility.”

Only a few of the great warriors of the desert can become ‘barbarians.’

They are the most honored warriors who guard the Queen of the Desert.

The ones who should be guarding the queen are in the labyrinth.

And it seems they were hired for money.

Unless the desert city of Faisalmer is in financial trouble.

‘Being hired might just be a pretext.’

Entering the labyrinth all at once would only create more chaos.

Infiltrating in smaller groups is more advantageous.

That's why the other entrants are proceeding with their own strategies, as if they were hired.

What does this mean?

Why did they start the exploration of the Abyss Labyrinth?

‘If the queen participated, it's best to avoid her.’

The Queen of the Desert is half-human, half-monster. She looks human on the outside, but there's a monster inside.

And I don't know what that monster is.

No one, including me, knows.

But based on the fact that she curses and drinks blood, I suspect she might be one of the higher-level vampires.

If Seregeti were here, it might be different, but for now, avoiding her is the best option.

I can't face the queen and multiple barbarians at the same time.

“Don't shake your head.”

“Yes... Thank you.”

Isabella almost got disqualified.

This is a more troublesome restriction than I thought.

Especially during and after intense battles, there's no time to think about it.

‘Players, the desert city, the Goddess Church, and the Earth God Church—where else might have participated?’

It seems more places have joined this labyrinth battle than expected.

I can't afford to let my guard down for a moment.

That's when it happened.

《A Labyrinth Merchant has appeared.》

《The Labyrinth Merchant sells special items in limited quantities.》

《The Labyrinth Merchant teleports randomly at specific times, and the location is shared with all entrants.》

《The Labyrinth Merchant is currently at coordinates 114.447.》

《Your current coordinates are 114.331.》

The Labyrinth Merchant has appeared not far from here.

*

Damn it!

The man bit his lip.

This was because all the guild members who came with him were wiped out.

By just one person.

‘What the hell. What is that guy, what the hell!’

The swordsman with the silver fox mask.

Guild members who had hunted 10-level elite raid boss monsters were wiped out by that one guy.

And it happened in an instant.

Before they even had a chance to react.

‘He definitely had a black bell on his waist.’

The black bell on his waist came to mind.

Isn't the black bell a symbol of the Church of Death?

Then, is the silver fox-masked swordsman related to the Church of Death?

“Hey!”

At that moment, a woman passed by him.

The woman, who was passing by without a care, turned her head at his voice.

“Are you calling me?”

“Yeah, you! Do you have any potions or something?”

“Potions?”

“Wait, hold on. You're a priest of the Goddess Church, right? Then heal me. I'll definitely pay you!”

I can't give up here.

Damn silver fox mask.

I'll kill that guy.

Fortunately, I had good luck.

The woman was wearing a ring with a golden pattern, one of the symbols of the Goddess Church.

That ring was definitely only given to priests of a higher rank in the Goddess Church.

‘I've seen this face somewhere before...’

But he shook his head.

Didn't the Saint Seo die in the Great Expedition?

Anyway, if she's a priest of the Goddess Church, she won't just pass by a wounded person.

The woman nodded and approached him.

“I'll heal you.”

“Thank you.”

The woman placed her hand on the man's head.

Then,

Snap!

She twisted his head.

Looking at the man who died instantly, the woman smiled brightly.

“I've healed you~”

Arena of Competition (3)

114.447

The coordinates where the Labyrinth Merchant appeared.

114.331

The coordinates of my current location.

Considering that 1 unit is roughly 10 meters, the Labyrinth Merchant is at least a few kilometers away.

‘This is announced to all entrants.’

The problem is that I'm not the only one who saw this message.

Everyone who entered saw it. Out of hundreds or thousands, who knows how many will rush to the merchant.

It doesn't matter if a few random people gather, but the biggest obstacle is the strong ones.

Gracia and the transcendent players like the Master.

There are certainly more strong ones from Pangea, like the Queen of the Desert.

If I encounter them and compete, there will definitely be casualties.

Whether they die or we die, one side will be completely wiped out.

...Although the latter is more likely at the moment.

‘It's best to avoid it within reason.’

I don't know how many points I need, and it's obvious that many piranhas will swarm.

Moreover, even if it's close, this is still a labyrinth.

If I start wandering, I might not even reach those coordinates.

I don't know what items the merchant sells. If it's something I don't need, it will be a waste of time.

It's wiser to quickly move forward during this time.

When they are competing for the merchant.

I can smoothly pass by and take the lead.

“What do you think?”

“Let's go.”

However, life is tough.

*

...Gracia, wiping the blood off her sword, looked at the message that appeared in front of her.

‘Labyrinth Merchant.’

I didn't expect this to appear so soon.

If it's true that the Labyrinth Merchant sells items that can't be obtained through normal means, like the soul of a hydra.

‘I have to be the first to arrive.’

I must secure it first.

Of course, I will eliminate anyone who tries to stop me.

This is the Arena of Competition, the Abyss Labyrinth.

Didn't everyone who entered come prepared?

Gurgle, gurgle...!

Among the many corpses, something was still alive.

A bizarre chimera.

“Troublesome.”

She threw her sword, embedding it in the chimera's forehead.

It died instantly, but she tilted her head.

Not only humans are in the Abyss Labyrinth.

‘Why are chimeras and undead here?’

There are monsters.

Of course, they could be entities created by someone's skill.

But they are too advanced for that.

At least level 8.

The higher ones are level 10.

There are only a few people who can create such high-quality undead, as far as Gracia knows.

The mad bioengineer who created the hydra and the player Mintchocoismyfavorite...

‘They don't show themselves in such public places.’

They act in secret.

If it's not them, then it's a monster.

There are quite a few monsters that can control such powerful undead.

For example, Eldritch, Darklord, Abyss Ragged Golem, and one of the Four Seasons, the King of Death.

Each one is a troublesome existence to encounter.

Gracia shook her head.

‘If they get in my way, I'll kill them.’

She doesn't hesitate.

She doesn't care who the enemy is.

Her ultimate goal is the Sword Saint Laila.

The ruler of the labyrinth and the Abyss, a being with the same title as her, Sword Saint!

‘I will kill that guy, prove myself, and become the ruler of this area.’

This is the Abyss.

Laila is the ruler of the Abyss.

And the Abyss is the ancient land of Pangea that was never restored.

The dead land where Laila is trapped.

In other words, if Laila dies, this land will rise into the sky and become part of the continent, forming a city.

The one who kills her will become the ruler of this ‘Labyrinth City.’

Just like the other places that became cities after the rulers of the Abyss were killed.

If anything stands in the way, I'll cut it down.

Swish.

Swish.

Swish.

A thousand swords rose from behind Gracia.

“Find it.”

Swish, swish!

Swoosh!

The thousand swords spread throughout the labyrinth, illuminating the path and searching for the Labyrinth Merchant.

*

Many entrants gathered toward the Labyrinth Merchant.

To buy the ‘special items’ as quickly as possible!

Bang!

That sound was the start.

“What, what! Why is there smoke all of a sudden?”

“Mushroom spores?”

“It's poison!”

Stepping on something, spores burst, darkening the view.

At the same time, the poison paralyzed the nerves.

Swoosh!

Bang!

“Ouch!”

The arrows flying through the gaps.

Most died instantly, but even if they survived, it was a problem.

“I can't see!”

“Help me!”

“My body!”

“Aaah!! It hurts so much!! Please, just kill me!!”

Screams filled the air.

And there were screams of immense pain mixed in.

Please, just kill me.

It means it hurts so much that they don't want to live.

Those screams triggered fear in the other entrants.

‘Who is shooting arrows from where?’

‘It's not a normal bow. It's definitely a special bow with an effect that adds pain.’

‘They set a trap. Entering is suicide!’

They set a trap and are waiting for prey.

It's already too late.

Even if they all targeted at once, it wouldn't work in a situation where everyone is a competitor.

‘Damn. What should I do?’

‘Should I wait for the next opportunity?’

People stood on guard, continuing to ponder.

When the smoke finally cleared.

“What? No one's here?”

The person shooting arrows from the smoke was already gone.

Instead, the Labyrinth Merchant.

“A vending machine...?”

Only a vending machine was left.

Then the war began.

“Kill him!”

“Don't let anyone reach it!”

They struggled to reach the vending machine, killing each other.

Meanwhile, someone who sneaked in and reached the vending machine smiled with joy.

‘Stupid guys. They're fighting foolishly and don't even know they're being looted.’

As he touched the vending machine with a pounding heart, a list appeared.

And when he saw the list of items for sale, the man's expression hardened, and he couldn't help but frown.

“...Why is the remaining list like this?”

*

It was a gift from the gods.

The Labyrinth Merchant appeared nearby, and ignoring it doesn't suit my nature.

I ran as fast as I could, took control of the merchant, and sowed the seeds.

‘Not enough points.’

I was surprised that the merchant was in the form of a vending machine, but it was because I didn't have enough points to buy the items.

‘A few people who arrived before us checked the vending machine and left.’

We weren't the first to arrive.

However, they left before the crowd gathered because they didn't have enough points.

It's obvious that this place will soon become a battlefield.