Han Juhyuk prayed every time he entered the Labyrinth.
Please… let me not run into those bastards.
But perhaps God didn’t exist, because every time he entered the Labyrinth, he met them.
“Hey. Who told you to come into the Labyrinth, huh?”
“Damn it. Are you not going to get lost? Do you know where you think you are, crawling in here? Oxygen is wasted on you, so get out of here.”
“Do a little dance for us. If you make us laugh, maybe we’ll let you go.”
They were the Hunters from China, who had settled on the 11th floor like squatters.
They mostly wore blue martial arts uniforms and called themselves the Purification Sect.
Supposedly, they existed to ‘purify’ the 11th floor of the Labyrinth.
They were infamous even in the Hunter Community, and their main prey were Hunters from weaker countries like Korea.
If only he had been alone, he might have tried something.
But they always moved in groups of more than ten, so it wasn’t easy to fight them properly.
‘It would be better if they just asked for money.’
Those guys didn’t even want money, they just enjoyed toying with people for fun—truly crazy bastards.
‘I can’t just let them walk all over me.’
Even a worm will squirm if you step on it; Han Juhyuk gathered information from Hunters who had suffered at the hands of the Purification Sect and prepared for war.
Quite a few people around him tried to dissuade him.
But back then, Han Juhyuk didn’t listen to their advice. He thought they were just cowards trying to avoid trouble.
And so, he prepared for a showdown with the Purification Sect.
“You bastards! Enough is enough!”
“Look at this lunatic. You’re dead today.”
The numbers were 15 to 10.
Han Juhyuk had gathered 15 people, while the Purification Sect had 10. The moment he saw the difference in strength, he thought he had won.
But the result was a crushing defeat.
“Remember the faces of these idiots. Make sure they rot on the 11th floor for the rest of their lives. Don’t even dream of going down the Labyrinth in this lifetime.”
It wasn’t that the resistance was weak.
Nor was the Purification Sect overwhelmingly strong.
The deciding factor in this war—
Was the buff given by the Labyrinth.
That was all.
The Labyrinth buff could only be received by Hunters of the same nationality as the floor’s master, and the owner of the 11th floor was a Hunter from China.
The reason the Purification Sect could run wild was because of that buff.
‘…It’s unfair.’
It wasn’t like he chose to be born in Korea. Yet, because of that, he was beaten by the Chinese and couldn’t descend further in the Labyrinth. It was infuriating.
But—
No amount of frustration would change anything.
He had to accept the results.
Han Juhyuk left the Labyrinth and lived peacefully for a while, but when he heard that Korea had become a Red Dungeon-producing nation, he became interested again.
Quite a bit of time had passed.
He thought the Purification Sect members who knew him would have already gone down the Labyrinth.
But that was a big mistake.
“Why… are you still on the 11th floor…”
“Keh keh keh keh. Why do you think, you punk? I can’t go down at ease because bastards like you keep crawling in.”
They were still there.
Thud!
Thud!
It hurt to get punched again after so long.
But suddenly, the pain disappeared.
Wondering what was going on, he cautiously lifted his head and saw a man wearing an oni mask.
The flag drawn on his forehead was Korea.
A Purification Sect Hunter tried to grab the Mask Man’s arm, but his head exploded from a Fireball and he vanished.
‘…Madman!’
Attacking the Purification Sect on the 11th floor was suicide. Even if you were lucky enough to take down one, there were dozens more waiting behind him.
“If you have no strength, you deserve to get beaten. Don’t you agree?”
Han Juhyuk’s jaw dropped at the Mask Man’s words.
How many people with Korean nationality could say something like that?
“Guys, looks like our newcomer needs some education. Give him a hand.”
“You started this first, remember?”
The Purification Sect Hunters surrounded the Mask Man, each drawing their weapon.
“Get him!”
The Hunters charged at the Mask Man all at once. Their weapons glowed blue as they activated weapon skills and targeted him.
Kagagagang!
Kagang!
All the attacks were blocked.
No weapon could touch the Mask Man. All their weapons were stopped by a translucent barrier. Meanwhile, the Mask Man opened his mouth.
“Flame Buster.”
At that moment—
A massive pillar of flame shot up around the Mask Man. The flames roared, burning everything nearby.
The Purification Sect Hunters screamed and dropped their weapons.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Hot—It’s hot! I said it’s hot!”
“Save me! I was wrong!”
The dazzling flames turned their prey black and charred. In an instant, the Purification Sect Hunters vanished. Only their captain, who had led the group, remained.
Maybe because all his comrades were gone.
His eyes trembled violently, then he threw away his weapon, pressed his face to the ground, and knelt.
“…P-please, spare me.”
“Still acting, huh.”
The Mask Man sneered, conjured an ice spear, and drove it through the captain’s heart.
Crack!
The captain froze solid, then shattered into powder as the ice broke apart.
Overwhelming force.
He had crushed a group of buffed Hunters with a single spell. With skill like that, he had to be at least B-rank.
Was there such a promising Hunter in Korea?
If there had been, every news outlet would be covering him. So where did this Hunter suddenly come from?
Wearing a mask meant he wanted to hide his identity.
Was he a recluse hiding his skills?
Or a superhuman secretly trained by the government?
Han Juhyuk swallowed and forced himself to stand.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you so much.”
The other Korean Hunters also got up and expressed their gratitude to the Mask Man.
Then the Mask Man spoke.
“We Koreans should help each other out.”
Was this what it felt like to meet a fellow countryman abroad?
Overcome with emotion, Han Juhyuk bit his lip.
“Thank you. Every day, I prayed those guys wouldn’t be here when I entered the Labyrinth. From tomorrow, I won’t have to pray like that anymore.”
“Me too. Honestly, seeing those bastards get what they deserve today felt so refreshing.”
“I won’t forget this favor! If I ever see another Korean in this situation, I’ll act just like you, Hunter!”
The Mask Man turned away at the Hunters’ gratitude.
“Good luck, everyone.”
With that, the Mask Man kicked off the ground and quickly disappeared.
One of the people watching him leave gave a strange smile.
“Really… I feel so reassured somehow.”
“Right? It feels like we finally have someone strong backing us up.”
But someone voiced a concern.
“But… will it be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Since he messed with the Purification Sect. China probably won’t just let this go.”
Han Juhyuk spoke up.
“How about we go with him and help? It’s always better with numbers than alone.”
“Then first, let’s clear the Trial.”
The Korean Hunters gathered in small groups, steeled their resolve, and all set off together.
To challenge the floor master, you need a Challenge Ticket.
There are two ways to get a Challenge Ticket.
Find a Hidden Piece, or find three treasures hidden by the floor master and exchange them for a Challenge Ticket.
If there’s no Hidden Piece, I’ll just have to go treasure hunting.
As I searched for any Hidden Piece that might still be in the Labyrinth, the Golden Dragon Eye activated.
[The Golden Dragon Eye has discovered something.]
The message I’d always seen when I found a Hidden Piece.
Following the flickering golden line at the edge of my vision, I moved my body. Toward the outskirts of the forest. Beneath some unusual trees, there were brilliant flowers.
It was as if they were alive and breathing.
Every time the petals moved, they released a cloud of white powder.
[You have been exposed to Poison.]
[Due to Dragon God’s Body, you are unaffected by Poison.]
Poison, huh.
“Goblin Summon.”
Shuaaak!
A Goblin appeared.
[Is it time to show off my poison skills now?]
I pointed at the poison-laden flowers as the Goblin struck a strange pose.
“They contain poison, so collect them.”
[Yes, sir!]
To properly master the Hundred Poisons Inner Technique, the Goblin needed to ingest a hundred kinds of poison.
What was around the Dragon Lair was nowhere near enough.
And now, something related to poison had appeared like this.
For me, it was quite fortunate.
“Take a few to Fryra as well.”
While the Goblin gathered the poison flowers, I followed the golden line in my vision to where the Hidden Piece was.
In a wide clearing stood a shriveled, withered tree.
A massive tree, at least ten meters in diameter.
The Golden Dragon Eye’s hint pointed to that huge tree. To check what it was, I used the Golden Dragon Eye.
[Faded World Tree (F)]
- Once the home of fairies for tens of thousands of years, now withered and lifeless as its life force has faded.
- If you use dragon-created fire to burn the World Tree, you can obtain the World Tree Seed.
A World Tree.
One of the things needed to raise nature-friendly Guardians like fairies, spirits, and elves.
‘Do I just have to burn it?’
As I got closer, a more detailed hint appeared.
A symbol of fire appeared on the withered surface.
At the same time, an image of the withered tree burning fiercely flashed through my mind.
I placed my hand over the fire symbol and used the mana in my Dragon Heart.
“Flame Burn.”
The most basic fire magic.
Flames snaked from my hand.
Maybe because the tree was so dried out, the flames spread rapidly and soon blazed fiercely.
The tree seemed to drink in the fire.
Soon, the flames quickly died down, and the World Tree crumbled into black ash. I approached and picked up a green seed nestled among the ashes.
[World Tree Seed (SSS)]
- Must be planted in a place rich in mana to sprout.
- Will grow even faster if you use fairy energy and the breath of nature.
Apparently, this counted as a Hidden Piece, because the Hidden Piece discovery message appeared.
[You have discovered a Hidden Piece.]
[Hidden Piece Achievement Reward granted.]
[Dungeon conquest rewards for your country are increased.]
[Trial Success rewards for your country are increased.]
I thought that was the end.
“Hmm?”
Looks like there was something else.
I reached into the shining golden light and pulled something out from the black ash—a golden Dragon Heart Fragment.
It was exactly twice as big as the ones I’d found on floors 1 through 10. About the size of a fingernail.
[You have discovered a Hidden Piece.]
[Hidden Piece Achievement Reward granted.]
[Dungeon conquest rewards for your country are increased.]
[Trial Success rewards for your country are increased.]
Two Hidden Pieces on one floor.
“Guess I should head back now.”
I was curious what kind of magic I’d get from the Dragon Heart, but there wasn’t much time left before the Trial ended.
I could check at home.
I used Haste to quickly make my way through the forest, searching for the entrance to the Labyrinth.
There it is.
In the distance between the trees, I saw a small round pillar. As I approached, I saw a door set into it.
Creak!
When I opened the door, a message appeared.
[You have cleared the Trial of the Labyrinth 11th Floor.]
[You receive three Magic Stone (E) as a Trial Reward.]
[You have obtained a Hidden Piece on this floor.]
[You have acquired a Challenge Ticket.]
[Using the Challenge Ticket allows you to challenge the floor master.]
Whirr!
A small ticket appeared in my hand.
“I’ll use this tomorrow.”
If I use the pass at the dimension tavern that will be completed tomorrow and increase my Guardians, I can clear the main quest and promote my Guardians.
With that much power, I could easily take the 11th floor.
That’s enough for today.
I took off my mask and walked through the door, finishing today’s Labyrinth conquest.
[Daily Labyrinth conquest: 1 time.]
[You have completed today’s allotted conquest attempts. You are leaving the Labyrinth.]
After exiting the Association, I entered the Dragon Lair, where Park Chanseong placed two large money bags down.
“It’s a total of 10 billion won.”
“Not bad.”
I agreed to hand over the B-rank skillbook and Magic Stones I’d obtained from conquering the Red Dungeon to the Association in exchange for money.
The skillbook wasn’t particularly useful at the moment.
Right now, money was more important than skillbooks or Magic Stones, so I decided without much hesitation.
I’ll save this money to use for Guardian promotions later.
‘First, should I plant the World Tree Seed?’
I’m curious what effects it might have.
I stepped outside the Dragon Lair and called out to Fryra, who was tending the elixir field.
“Fryra! Let’s plant this together.”