Chapter 90: Into the Abyssal Depths

There is a clear reason why the Abyss’s underground 50th floor is considered the mid-game.

Because many things changed from the moment it was cleared.

The most significant points include that the Entrance to the Abyss appears not only in Hell’s Garden but also across the continent.

The difficulty rises sharply to match, and various forms of Abyss appear, such as Labyrinths.

It has been confirmed that this month’s cleared floor is in the form of a Labyrinth, so recruitment begins immediately.

Not only for the Labyrinth but for all floors after the mid-game, the parties are carefully and perfectly selected due to the special nature of these floors.

Of course, besides the official clear squads, countless others exist, each starting from different Abyss Gates and cautiously advancing toward the Labyrinth’s center.

Once they break through the darkness and arrive at the center, they must defeat the monsters guarding the floor’s orb and then destroy the orb to complete the clear.

The core of the floor, the floor’s orb.

The moment the orb is destroyed, the floor collapses, so the monsters guarding it never leave its vicinity.

Then why are those approaching Daphne and Hio behaving like that?

‘Why have they left the orb unattended and come all the way here?’

Put that question aside for now.

“Since we’ve rested this long, I don’t think anyone would mind if I stepped up to finish things off, right?”

Daphne summoned down Rafflesia and took a step back, showing a firm will not to participate in the fight.

The justification was more than enough.

Daphne had handled all battles for half a day, and Hio had only followed behind her.

They had confirmed it wasn’t because he lacked strength, so such a request was natural and needed no further explanation.

“…This is troublesome.”

Of course, no matter what, Hio’s position was full of difficulties.

‘How could he waste all the patience he had gathered so far?’

And surely Daphne had said something impressive before entering.

“You just need to show me the way, and you’ll break through, right?”

“That’s why we made it this far. You should handle the finishing touches.”

“That…”

“He’s coming.”

This was no time for leisurely conversation.

Though the monsters were dismissed as Labyrinth monsters, only Daphne and Hio could say so casually.

They were indeed powerful monsters.

The presence of the approaching boss monster was palpable.

Its eyes gleamed through the darkness.

But their number was abnormal.

Easily surpassing a hundred, those eyes filled the Labyrinth’s space and slowly drew nearer.

“The Abyss, it’s a Watcher.”

Daphne stepped back a pace and spoke calmly, as if watching a distant fire across a river.

The first thing Daphne did after stabilizing the guild was to record and catalog every major boss monster in preparation for the Abyss Gate.

That meant she knew almost every monster.

Abyss Monster—Watcher.

A monster appearing only in Labyrinth forms after mid-game, with a slime-like body.

However, compared to regular slimes, it boasts a massive size, with hundreds of eyes embedded all over its body.

It has no blind spots, and unless all its eyes are destroyed, it won’t die.

Its body can freely change shape.

It dominates the Labyrinth’s narrow space, pushing forward, making it a tricky opponent as all eyes must be destroyed while it advances.

A real pain.

“You know that much, right? Jijoncheonma?”

“Of course, Daphne.”

“Then let’s finish this quickly.”

“How about you do it?”

When Daphne took a step back, Hio took two.

“How far are you planning to retreat?”

“For now, farther back than you.”

If Daphne stepped back three steps, Hio took four.

He had already put out the Azure Flame.

He couldn’t afford to waste nearly maxed patience.

Of course, the Abyss Monster might not be considered an intelligent lifeform.

But look at those hundreds of eyes writhing, covering the walls, ceiling, and floor of the Labyrinth.

‘Could that be called an intelligent lifeform?’

Still, as long as there was the slightest possibility, this was a gamble.

A gamble with a whopping 935 patience points on the line.

A gamble he had no reason to take.

“Why did you cancel that flame earlier? With a skill like that, the Watcher shouldn’t be that hard.”

“Some circumstances.”

***

While casually conversing, both legs were moving hard.

Backwards.

“What circumstances?”

“Trying to dig up too many secrets on our first meeting.”

Nonviolence was clearly Hio’s weakness.

Though Daphne was an ally to prevent destruction, there was no need to reveal her weakness outright.

The grotesque body of the Watcher kept pushing forward.

Eventually, Daphne stepped forward first.

“Tch.”

She stretched out her right hand to reveal the Divine Bow Rafflesia once again.

“We have to finish the clear first.”

The bowstring was drawn taut as she summoned it.

Next to it, the bright blue petals spread even larger than before.

Swish—

A chilling arrow shot swiftly.

Since the opponent was what it was, these were no ordinary arrows like before.

At least dozens flew at an incredible speed, all embedding in the Watcher’s enormous body.

At a glance, the blue light flickered briefly, so fast it almost looked like a blur.

Yet many eyes remained, and its pushing body was still intact.

Of course, Daphne’s bow did not rest.

Dozens of ice arrows shot out.

They pierced the Watcher’s flabby body and eyes.

The eyes froze and shattered instantly.

Daphne drew the bowstring again.

Dozens of blue arrows were released.

They embedded into the Watcher’s thick flesh, and at the same time, more arrows followed.

Before the previous arrows arrived, the next volley had already been fired, repeated endlessly.

[Swish— The piercing arrows.]

Soon turned into a cascading torrent.

[‘Rafflesia’ Skill – ‘Azure Sea’ Activated.]

What appeared was a cold blue wave.

A galaxy of ice.

The full power of Daphne’s earnest strength.

“Let’s finish this clear.”

***

After several seconds, the icy glacier wave ended, and without needing to check, Daphne dismissed Rafflesia.

Her confidence was natural.

The boss monster that had slimily approached, covering the Labyrinth’s walls, ceiling, and floor—the Watcher named for its hundreds of eyes—

Had lost its grotesque original form, shattered into sparkling ice fragments scattered everywhere.

All those hundreds of eyes were frozen and broken, and its body was riddled with blue holes.

Under normal circumstances, the Watcher’s liquid-like body freely changed shape, threatening the clear squad by hiding and moving its vital hundreds of eyes, making it quite a tricky opponent.

But in the confined Labyrinth space, faced with an endless hail of icy galaxy arrows, it was nothing more than a trivial lifeform.

Done.

“Let’s go break the orb.”

Stepping on one of the Watcher’s frozen eyes that fell with a crunch, Daphne advanced.

“Honestly, I’m more disappointed than I thought, Jijoncheonma.”

The Watcher’s corpse was frozen, stuck to the walls and ceiling.

Occasional ice shards fell.

Without looking back, Daphne spoke to Hio following behind.

“No, maybe my expectations were too high?”

She, too, was one of the countless players who had poured time into Ventail, revering Jijoncheonma as a legend.

That reverence only grew now that this world had become reality.

Jijoncheonma, who was already overwhelmingly first place back then, even received special perks.

‘How much stronger must he have become?’

‘Wouldn’t he display an even more overwhelming presence than before?’

So rumors were deliberately spread that the Adventurer Guild Master was looking for Jijoncheonma.

Hearing that, he would surely understand and contact them.

Joining forces to prevent the world’s destruction was natural.

Though it was a game, all five Raenka shared the desire to fight to the very end to stop annihilation.

Perhaps that was why Daphne and the other Raenka sought Jijoncheonma—wanting someone to rely on.

The sudden responsibility was unbearably heavy.

They likely wanted to lean on the one who had always been above them.

But two years passed without a single contact, not even a trace of him seen.

Only scammers or lunatics impersonated Jijoncheonma.

Disappointed, they called him a coward and told others not to care, but somewhere in their hearts, hope still lingered.

When rumors of Jijoncheonma spread, their hearts unknowingly thumped.

They were swept by hope that he had finally appeared.

But that hope shattered after just half a day inside the Labyrinth.

The recent rumors must have been exaggerated.

The flashy skills and outfit were probably just bluster.

“The thing is.”

Though the blue flames shown by Jijoncheonma were intense, hadn’t he said he couldn’t use them himself?

‘If so, how was he any different from a mere guide?’

‘Where had that overwhelming presence from the past gone?’

So this time, even the last shred of hope vanished.

The greater the hope and the longer it was held, the more unbearable the emptiness when it was completely crushed.

“From now on, there probably won’t be much for you to do, Jijoncheonma. Or rather, Hio Pavlenko.”

If the Labyrinth reappeared, they would call him guide again, but otherwise, she could solve problems herself without Hio.

She, too, had sincerely prepared and grown stronger to stop destruction.

Now that Jijoncheonma was no longer overwhelming, she must work even harder.

A man who, despite receiving the perks of being first place, failed to raise his fame or strength beyond this.

A man who suddenly appeared after hiding, only to spin excuses about his circumstances.

Compared to him, she had worked far harder.

She wished she had been the one to receive those perks instead.

“I won’t say anything about you to others. Well, there’s nothing much to say anyway.”

Of course, Daphne knew there was no need to say this.

She had been the one who had hoped and been disappointed the most.

Hio Pavlenko had found the Labyrinth’s path as promised, and somehow, the clear was completed in time.

For a coward, that took quite some courage.

Now it was time to let go of all expectations of Jijoncheonma and plan for what lay ahead.

Still, she couldn’t stop the sarcasm that slipped out.

“If you need a guide again next time, call me.”

Her disappointment in the man she had waited years for, hoping and dreaming about, was real.

That slight mockery was a natural instinct to leave behind even the tiniest lingering feelings.

“The clear is over.”

Daphne stepped on the frozen Watcher’s corpse without stopping.

The ice shards crumbled beneath her feet.

The pervasive cold was the glacier path she had created.

Following that familiar path, she would soon reach the Labyrinth’s center and destroy the floor’s orb, finishing the clear.

Once again, they had safely protected it.

‘…But did some lingering feeling remain?’

“No, the clear isn’t over.”

“Or was it pride wounded by her own sarcasm?”

Hio Pavlenko’s voice came from behind.

“Daphne.”

Even as she was called, Daphne did not stop.

‘Did she want to make excuses?’

No.

More than talking with him, she wanted to firmly finish what was already essentially over.

“Stop.”

Yet somehow, hearing his firm voice made her unable to help but halt.

Suddenly, irritation flared up.

It was uncharacteristic of her to become so emotional.

Come to think of it, it had been like that since entering the Labyrinth.

She smiled at Hio’s praise, nurtured unnecessary suspicion from his trivial actions.

‘Had she not openly mocked out of deep disappointment?’

It was utterly unlike her, but there was no time to dwell on it.

“Can’t you even grasp priorities anymore?”

No matter what excuses or stories he told, shouldn’t finishing the clear come first?

How much longer did this man intend to disappoint her?

She stopped and looked back.

Her face contorted with rising irritation, and her mind pictured it all.

Jijoncheonma, pride wounded, scowling in anger or making excuses.

“No matter what excuses you have, finish the clear first…”

But the scene reflected in Daphne’s eyes as she turned was nothing like she imagined.

“…Finish it…”

Hio Pavlenko neither shouted nor tried to excuse himself.

He wasn’t even looking at her.

His sclera were completely blackened, and his gaze fixed behind her.

“Don’t look back, Daphne.”

His voice was calm, serious beyond measure.

“Walk slowly this way.”

A sudden feeling of unease arose.

Since when had she been careless, thinking the clear was already done?

That the Watcher, who should have guarded the orb, was moving toward them was strange enough.

Her thought framework cracked, and clarity finally returned.

When and why, she didn’t know. But the clarity meant something had been covering her mind.

And as the fog lifted, unease only grew.

First, the cold chill of the ice she had created was no longer felt.

The familiar crunch of ice beneath her feet was gone.

Somehow heavy and frightening was the sensation underfoot.

Looking down, she felt dizzy, as if she might fall endlessly.

“Don’t waver, Daphne. Don’t look away. Only look at me and walk straight this way.”

Amid the confusion, Hio’s voice was a clear signpost.

In the midst of that dizzying fear, he showed her the way.

“It’s okay. Come here.”

Clutching her trembling limbs, Daphne barely reached Hio’s side.

His eyes had returned to normal, but his gaze was still fixed on one spot.

Only after reaching Hio’s side did she finally breathe easier.

She found just a little courage to look around.

The glacier path she had made, the cold chill, and the crumbling ice felt meaningless here.

“Hold your mind firmly, Daphne.”

Looking around, her gaze eventually met Hio’s once again.

The Labyrinth’s walls and ceiling were gone, replaced by an endlessly high sky.

A sky infinitely black.

“I don’t want to go mad.”

Floating there was a gigantic eye.

A grotesque eye, horizontally slit, staring directly down at her.

“This is the Abyssal Depths.”

They were already in the Abyssal Depths.