Moon’s Labyrinths - Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Chapter 174

“Are any of you injured?”

Sungyoon asked as he returned to his party members . From what he could see, no one looked injured .

Thankfully, all three of them shook their heads from side to side .

“This is everything I expected the Great Labyrinth to be . This place really is sheer torture . ”

Tim kicked the Moving Tree as he spoke .

As expected of a party that qualified to enter the Great Labyrinth, Sungyoon and the others were skillfully killing the monsters at the early stage of the Great Labyrinth .

The party members' mood elevated at the fact that their powers worked, but the feeling lasted only a moment . The monsters of the Great Labyrinth had special characteristics that couldn’t be seen in any other labyrinths . The party was blown away by it .

The Brutal Worms remained hidden underneath the ground and waited for the right opportunity to strike . The Moving Trees looked like regular trees when they camouflaged themselves . All of this meant the party was always at risk of being ambushed .

Aside from these two types of monsters, other monsters also continued to threaten the party .

These monsters were full of surprises . It almost made Sungyoon’s party miss the monsters from the normal labyrinths, the monsters that charged forward in a mindless manner .

“Still, we're making a good amount of profit . ”

Grace approached the location where a Moving Tree used to be . She squatted down to pick up the moonstone its corpse had left behind .

This moonstone was as big as a volleyball, and multiple colors swirled within it . It was as if a rainbow was trapped within this moonstone .

This moonstone only appeared within the Great Labyrinth . It was an extremely high-quality moonstone with concentrated magical energy, and, of course, it was quite expensive on the market .

London needed a lot of money for its reconstruction . So, Grace was very happy as she handed over the moonstone to Sungyoon .

“We should end the hunt soon . ”

Sungyoon spoke . Normally, he would use his mechanical wristwatch to check the time . However, he didn’t need to do that . He just looked up at the sky .

The sky was clearly turning vivid red as if the sun was setting .

Of course, there was no sun in here . There wasn’t even a clear source of light, so why was the sky turning red? It was one of the countless unsolved mysteries of the Great Labyrinth .

Suddenly, Tim made a suggestion .

“Why don’t we spend the night here? If we plan on going deeper into the labyrinth, we should get used to it . ”

The entrance to the Great Labyrinth was right next to Armstrong, and the party was only clearing the first floor .

Of course, the ease of access to the Great Labyrinth meant they had returned to Armstrong every night to rest . However, that would be impossible if they went deeper into the lower floors of the Great Labyrinth .

“I’m fine with it . What do you think we should do, Mr . Sungyoon?”

Grace agreed with Tim’s suggestion .

Emily looked like she would do whatever the party decided to do .

“Let’s do that . ”

Sungyoon, who was facing the entrance of the Great Labyrinth, turned back toward the labyrinth . He and the others then walked through the grassy plain that had the red sky as the background .  

It was such a dreamy view that even an insensitive person would shed a tear in spite of oneself .

However, Sungyoon’s party wasn't interested in the view . They were constantly on guard . In previous runs, they had been ambushed by monsters when they got distracted by the view .

Thankfully, they arrived at their destination without encountering any monsters .

Shallow hills surrounded a deep depression in the ground, and a small stream cut through it . It looked to be a great place to make a camp . The shallow hills would block the winds .

As soon as the party entered this region, their bodies could no longer sense the ambient magical energy . It was a Magical Void .

Hyunwoo had shown Sungyoon this spot last time .

The party used their feet to flatten the ground, and then, put their blankets on the ground . While they were making preparations, the Great Labyrinth became engulfed by pure darkness .

Since there was no magical energy around them, they couldn’t see in the darkness . That was why Sungyoon took out a lantern from his storage Gem . The lantern brightened the surroundings . Sungyoon then took out a portable burner, pot, fry pan, meat, and other packaged foods .

Soon, the nearby region was filled with the smell of meat and soup being cooked . It was a smell that shouldn’t be present within a labyrinth .

Hyunwoo had gifted these items to Sungyoon saying they would be useful .  And, indeed, thanks to these items, Sungyoon's party could enjoy a warm meal within the Great Labyrinth .

“I never expected to camp within a labyrinth . Moreover, we're doing this in the infamous Great Labyrinth of all places . ”

Tim chewed on the cooked meat as he spoke .

Despite saying this, Tim looked a bit nervous . Aside from Sungyoon, all his fellow party members also looked a bit nervous .

Hyunwoo had taken Sungyoon around his Personal Labyrinth, and they had even shared alcohol inside . But unlike Sungyoon, it was the first time eating cooked meat within a labyrinth for his party members .

“I was surprised in the beginning too . However, monsters never enter the Magical Void . I even drank alcohol within Sung Hyunwoo’s Personal Labyrinth . ”

“That's one thing I won’t do within a labyrinth . ”

Tim shook his head from side to side .

“In Personal Labyrinths, only the owner and the trusted comrades can enter .  But in the Great Labyrinth, it's possible to run into untrustworthy Connectors . So while Mr . Hyunwoo and I only ate food within the Great Labyrinth, we didn’t drink any alcohol . ”

If that hadn’t been the case, Sungyoon might have brought out alcohol too .

After they finished a warm meal, which was out of place within a labyrinth, the party got ready to sleep .

The first one to keep a night watch was Emily .

Sungyoon laid down as he placed a blanket over his body . However, he didn’t forget to do his ritual before he slept . He didn’t forget to look at the picture of Shinhae .

“Did something good happen with Shinhae? You're in a good mood . ”

Emily asked the question . Sungyoon let out a rare smile as he answered her .

“I’m just renewed with joy that Shinhae is my daughter . ”

It was an odd choice of words, and it aroused Emily's curiosity .  

However, Sungyoon didn’t speak any further . He once again looked at the picture .

***

Sungyoon’s party traveled around the grassy plain as they killed a lot of monsters .

As expected of monsters of the Great Labyrinth, the monsters came in waves . These monsters couldn’t be compared to the monsters of the normal labyrinths .

Here, each monster had powerful abilities, and they all used the terrain to their advantage . Moreover, some of the monsters attacked in packs . Of course, the reward was big too .

The party was earning money that couldn’t be earned in a Personal Labyrinth .

After a while, Sungyoon’s party went around the entire grassy plain, and they arrived at a hole in the wall . It was an entrance to a cave .

“Shall we head in?”

Sungyoon’s voice was clearly tense . His party members nodded, but they looked tense too .

They were about to leave the 1st floor of the Great Labyrinth . They would leave the grassy plain for the next floor .

Sungyoon had built up a good amount of experience in the grassy plain thanks to Hyunwoo’s help . It was the reason his party had a relatively easy time clearing this floor . However, from now on, it would be a different story . The party had information about the other floors, but none of them had actually experienced anything . So, of course, they were tense .

However, none of them turned back . Sungyoon was doing this for Jimin . The Ross siblings were doing this for their mother . And Grace was doing this for her country and the crown .

The reason differed for each person, but the goal was the same .

Sungyoon took the first step forward . The others followed him and slowly left behind the grassy plain to enter the dark cave .

The cave was long . The light from behind faded away, and the party could only use the information delivered through the magical energy to see in the darkness .

Soon, light appeared . It meant they were close to reaching the next floor .

Everyone was nervous as they gripped their weapons . It was as if they expected something to pop out in front of them .

Hoo-oo-oong!

When they exited the cave, the first thing that greeted them was the wind . Sungyoon’s cape and the robes of Emily and Grace crazily fluttered in the wind . Emily and Grace had to clutch at their robes .

“This place is… . ”

Sungyoon kept his eyes open as he surveyed his surroundings .

Green grass appeared in his sight . The green grass contrasted well with the blue sky, and in some ways, it looked like the grassland on the first floor .

However, that wasn’t the case . Sungyoon looked back at where they had exited . He could see a large hole in a hill . When he took a couple of steps forward, he was greeted by a cliff . He caught sight of white clouds, and he couldn’t see what was below . The other party members followed Sungyoon, and they also expressed their surprise .

“This is amazing . ”

Tim spoke . Emily and Grace stood close to the cliff as they looked down . Sungyoon took out a cup from his storage Gem and tossed it over . The others looked on with interest when Sungyoon conducted the experiment .

The cup pierced through the cloud, and it disappeared . However, the sound of the cup hitting the floor didn't rang out .  

The four of them just heard the wailing of the winds .

“… Let’s move . ”

Sungyoon took a step back from the cliff as he spoke . The other party members nodded and stepped away too .

The place they had arrived was a plateau surrounded by cliffs . Countless clouds surrounded the cliffs, and it was unknown as to how far one had to travel to reach the bottom .  

Sungyoon started walking as he gave a warning to his party .

“We can't only be worried about the ground monsters here . There are aerial type monsters on this floor, and they might attack from the sky . Please be careful . ”

It was as if he had spoken it into existence .

Ggeeeeeeeek!

A chilling cry rang out from the sky .

The party looked up and saw five dots circling them . These monsters looked like vultures hunting for a corpse .

“They are the Four-Winged Vultures . ”

Sungyoon spoke . It had been a while since he had used his sight-enhancing magic .

“It seems they want to make us their next meal . ”

The five dark dots in the sky started to get larger . The monsters were descending at extremely high speed .

“Mr . Tim! Please stick close to Ms . Emily and Ms . Grace! Don’t worry about attacking the monsters! Just focus on protecting the two of them! Ms . Grace! Please prepare a spell! I would like either a thunder or a wind magic spell! Ms . Emily should place defense magic on all of us just in case!”

This was their first time fighting an aerial type monster .

Sungyoon wanted to ensure safety before attacking with full power .

The party moved according to Sungyoon’s orders like a well-oiled machine .

Sungyoon raised his sword as he looked up . The dots were getting larger, and he could see monstrous birds with four wings flapping toward him .

“I’m ready!”

“Shoot it!”

Grace extended her staff .

A terrifying amount of electricity flowed through the staff . It was Grace's newly acquired Jewel rank magic Gem .

Koo-roo-roo-roong!

Flash!

The light swirled as it shot forward, causing the air to vibrate . The powerful light made Sungyoon’s party close their eyes . Only after the light subsided did they open their eyes .

The number of Four-Winged Vultures had been reduced to three from five as two blackened Four-Winged Vultures fell from the sky .

“I only killed two?”

Grace was very surprised . Sungyoon was also taken aback by it .  

They had expected the entire group to be wiped . At the very least, they expected the spell to kill four monsters .

At that moment, the remaining Four-Winged Vultures swung their wings in a powerful manner .

“Mr . Tim! Protect the two of them!”

Before Sungyoon could finish his words, Tim had raised his large shield, and Emily and Grace quickly moved under this shield .

Sungyoon also raised his shield .

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

Numerous plates erupted from the edge of his shield and blocked all the feathers coming at him .

Tim’s shield also blocked all the feathers . No one was hurt .

However, this attack allowed the Four-Winged Vultures to get close to Sungyoon’s party .

Ggeeeeeeeeeek!

The monsters screeched as they dived toward the party with their claws extended .

Two of them attacked Tim, and the other one attacked Sungyoon .

Sungyoon dodged the attack coming at him .

Kwah-jeek!

The sharp claws dug deep into the ground, and Sungyoon quickly swung his sword at it .

Hoo-oong!

‘It dodged?’

The monster flapped its wings to move its body, and Sungyoon’s sword missed everything .

Sungyoon immediately unsummoned his sword and shield . He then summoned his halberd and stabbed the monster .

Sss-kahk!

Ggyahhhhhhhk!

The halberd’s spear blade barely reached the wing of the Four-Winged Vulture . But feathers and blood flew into the air .

‘As expected, its defense is weak!’

These monsters' mobility and attack power were high, but their constitution was weak . The information Sungyoon had about them was correct .

Sungyoon's halberd was a Red rank weapon Gem . It was the highest rank amongst the Rainbow rank Gems, but at the end of the day, it was merely a Rainbow rank Gem .

Despite this fact, the Four-Winged Vulture was heavily damaged by the halberd after being grazed by it .