Labyrinth (2)
A few minutes before the Nightmare Mode commotion.
《You have entered the Berserker’s Labyrinth (Rare).》
《Please summon your summons to proceed with the dungeon.》
《You can escape the Labyrinth by using the escape warps placed throughout the Labyrinth.》
《Fatigue management is important in the Labyrinth. When fatigue drops, it will have an adverse effect on your summons.》
In the Labyrinth, there was a special resource called fatigue.
It was a system where fatigue decreased each time one took an action, and debuffs were applied accordingly.
It was one of the reasons beginners avoided the Labyrinth.
It was terribly troublesome, despite not giving anything particularly amazing.
That was why, when running the Labyrinth, it was important to find the optimal route.
The first priority was to find a path that reached the boss room while using as little fatigue as possible.
‘Hmm... let’s see.’
I immediately looked around my current location and the area near the entrance.
‘I can roughly see the angle.’
Should I call it muscle memory?
I had only glanced over it roughly, yet memories from my younger days came back one after another.
As if I had visited the neighborhood where I lived as a child, even though it was a path I had not seen in ten years, the map drew itself automatically inside my head.
Since I had found the route, I immediately summoned Hertia and Caligo.
“Did you call, Master?”
“Oho, Honored Sage! Where might this place be now? The bloody stench of beasts! It smells exactly like my laboratory! Kha!”
“Well, perhaps your nose has finally gone bad, Caligo?”
“I think you may send this gorilla-like woman back now!”
The moment the two were summoned, they immediately began a contest of wills.
My head was already starting to ache.
“This is a battlefield. If the two of you will not take it seriously, I will send both of you back.”
“...I apologize.”
“My thoughts were short-sighted, Honored Sage.”
Whew. Once I took the initiative right away, they no longer fought openly.
It seemed I had grown quite a bit too.
This cringe-inducing way of speaking had become rather comfortable on my tongue now.
“This place is... a Labyrinth. It reeks of foul beasts soaked in madness.”
“You recognized it. That is correct. This is the domain ruled by the Berserker Ogre.”
The Berserker’s Labyrinth.
A Labyrinth with an ogre as its boss.
Even among Labyrinths, it was infamous for being one of the most troublesome.
‘When you say ogres, they are the type that suppress their opponents with physical strength, relying on their high vitality and defense.’
They were huge, absurdly strong, and fairly numerous compared to other dungeons.
That also made it a place with good rewards, but the difficulty of clearing it was atrocious.
However, it was not as though there was no method at all.
“I will take the lead.”
“Pardon? Please take care of yourself, Master! I will do such a dangerous task!”
“No. Is this not a Labyrinth? It will be faster if I step forward.”
“......”
“Pfft.”
Caligo, who had been quietly listening from the side, sneered.
I knew that laugh too.
If there was a weakness that was not quite a weakness for Hertia...
‘She is terrible with directions. Seriously terrible.’
Not that Caligo was particularly good at finding paths either.
From what I had seen, they were about the same.
“Caligo.”
“Hup, my apologies.”
I lightly warned Caligo.
He covered his mouth with both hands.
Upon seeing this, Hertia gave a small sneer.
Since both of them were watching my reaction, it seemed there would be no further quarrel.
I sighed inwardly and slowly moved forward.
After leaving the safe zone like that, just as I was about to take my first step into the Labyrinth...
“Hmm?”
The atmosphere of the Labyrinth suddenly changed in a strange way.
Then a system notification rang before me.
《Nightmare Mode has activated.》
《The Labyrinth’s difficulty has increased.》
《The map of a Labyrinth where Nightmare Mode has activated will change in real time.》
《A Nightmare Mode Labyrinth cannot be abandoned midway.》
‘Damn it. What kind of bullshit is this now?’
Nightmare Mode.
Separate from the six-stage difficulty system, it was a system that raised the difficulty by adding extra restrictions.
No, it should be said that it went beyond simply ‘raising’ the difficulty.
Enemies that grew visibly stronger, and a maze that changed its structure in real time.
Even the old-timers I knew back when this was a game had found it burdensome.
On top of that, Nightmare Mode did not appear in a Rare-grade Labyrinth like this.
This was something one should experience only after reaching at least adventurer level 60...
‘What do you mean, Nightmare Mode in a Rare-grade dungeon?’
Of course, there had been all kinds of large and small changes to the game system after the Great Cataclysm, so perhaps I had simply been unlucky enough to trigger it.
But...
‘This might not be bad.’
《When clearing a Nightmare Mode Labyrinth, you can obtain special rewards according to your clear grade.》
Was equipment not the reason I was clearing the Labyrinth?
Conveniently, in Nightmare Mode, the drop rate for equipment increased noticeably.
If I was lucky, I could even obtain an ‘artifact that could only be obtained in Nightmare Mode’.
‘If it drops, then encountering Nightmare Mode in a Rare grade might actually be lucky, right?’
There was a saying that crisis was opportunity.
However, that saying was only meant for talented people who were prepared to seize that opportunity.
What about me?
Need I even say it?
At least in the world of ‘Legend Seven’, there was no one more prepared than I was.
Go ahead and change the map in real time.
Would I, the unofficial number-one ranker, really be unable to find a single boss room?
However, if there was one thing bothering me, it was the fatigue system...
【Fatigue】
Description: Depending on remaining fatigue, summons receive the Powerlessness debuff, which lowers their stats.
Fatigue 70: Summon stats 10%↓
Fatigue 50: Summon stats 20%↓
Fatigue 30: Summon stats 40%↓
Fatigue 20: Summon stats 60%↓
Fatigue 10: Summon stats 80%↓
Fatigue 0: The summon and summoner die.
According to my original plan, I had intended to enter the boss room while keeping fatigue above 50.
I had calculated that even if my summons’ stats fell by 10%, they could still handle the ogre.
But the conditions had changed.
‘To fight a Rare-grade Nightmare Mode boss with my current composition...’
I needed at least 70 fatigue. In other words, not even a slight debuff could be allowed.
‘But even if I fight it without debuffs, the odds are about fifty-fifty.’
It seemed I had to revise the plan.
I erased the shortest route I had established inside my head and began thinking of a path that would ‘go as far around as possible to reach the boss room’.
What was I thinking, when I would receive a pile of debuffs and might die if things went wrong?
Well, that was because...
“...Why are you looking at me with those eyes, Honored Sage?”
If I used Caligo’s ability, ‘Law of Exchange’, I could turn this crisis into an opportunity.
‘Whew...’
From here onward, it was time to calculate.
In the Labyrinth, the timer did not run as long as one’s foot had not left the starting point.
So I intended to sit still at the entrance and draw a map of the ‘longest route’.
However, there were a few things I had to consider.
Even while taking a detour, it had to be an optimal route that did not encounter traps or obstacles.
If we were caught in such things by mistake, it would cause unnecessary loss of combat power, and that would reduce the success rate of the clear.
The good news was that I did not need to consider areas where monsters appeared.
Thanks to Hertia, we could avoid combat.
STEP! STEP! STEP!
The Labyrinth before my eyes began to change its appearance in real time.
At that moment, the maps stored inside my head unfolded.
***
Hertia and Caligo silently watched Oh Hyunwoo, Lucifer, who was sitting at the entrance of the Labyrinth.
He had already been sitting in that posture, lost in thought, for well over ten minutes.
However, they could not speak to him first.
It was because they feared that if they disturbed his thoughts by mistake, they might receive a thunderous scolding.
‘What is he considering that his thoughts have grown so long? He is usually such a decisive person.’
Lucifer’s battles were bold and relentless.
One could tell just by looking at the strategies he displayed on the battlefield.
Putting a thief-type summon with low vitality and defense at the front, or forming a party only with archer-type summons.
He actively used dangerous strategies that others would not even imagine.
For someone like him to hesitate.
There was only one reason.
It was when he fell into deep thought for the sake of ‘perfect victory’.
‘Yes. Lord Lucifer has always worried about us. Especially when using the summons of “Pandemonium”.’
Lucifer did not fear his summons being injured or falling into a combat-incapacitated state.
For the sake of victory, he knew how to make bold sacrifices.
However, the summons of ‘Pandemonium’ were an exception.
Pandemonium.
The dwelling place of the summons Lucifer had accepted as his confidants, and the most majestic yet dangerous palace in the world.
It was a den of demons where countless powerful beings, including the summons of the Seven Deadly Sins, sometimes opposed one another and sometimes cooperated as they built their strength.
‘The reason was that, when handling us, he always pursued something beyond perfection.’
The reason the powerful beings of the era, including the Seven Deadly Sins, followed Lucifer.
It was because of the overwhelming strategy and perfection Lucifer displayed.
As such, if he had shown weakness even once, it would not have been strange for their relationship to twist at any time.
However, Lucifer did not waver.
Perfect victories so complete that not a single being in Pandemonium could raise a complaint.
As such victories repeated, the summons of Pandemonium developed a certain absolute belief.
‘Lucifer does not lose.’
Even if he lost some battle, it was merely a deep scheme for the sake of an even greater victory.
“Caligo.”
Hertia called Caligo, who was looking at the back of Lucifer’s head with sparkling eyes beside her.
At that, Caligo looked at Hertia with sharp eyes.
“Master is deep in thought. I presume you can guess the reason?”
At Hertia’s question, Caligo raised one corner of his mouth and nodded.
Then he pointed at Hertia and himself with gestures.
He understood, just as Hertia did, that Lucifer was considering a perfect strategy.
“Do you not intend to speak?”
Caligo made all kinds of hand and foot gestures, conveying that it could not be helped if he wished to witness a miracle.
“Whether you open your mouth or not, Master will perform the miracle you speak of.”
“Right?!”
The moment Caligo opened his mouth—
Lucifer, who had been sitting and waiting through his long contemplation, rose from his seat.
At that moment, Caligo hurriedly shut his mouth again in fear.
When Lucifer turned his head, Caligo immediately rubbed his palms together in apology.
With a vow that he would never open his mouth again.
However, Oh Hyunwoo did not seem to care about Caligo’s actions at all.
“Prepare yourselves. Ten seconds from now, we run in a straight line.”
“Pardon?”
“Anyone who falls behind, even slightly, will be reverse-summoned and excluded from the clear party.”
At Lucifer’s declaration, ten seconds of silence and tension passed.
And then.
“Now!”
***
Designing the longest route for Nightmare Mode was not as difficult as I had expected.
I merely had to pay attention to several dozen patterns and several hundred variables.
However, there was one part I had to be a little more careful about with the longest route.
‘Maintaining fatigue in the single digits. If it is higher than that, the success rate of the clear drops. If it reaches 0, we die because of the gimmick.’
So I had to pay attention not only to the longest route, but also to walking the tightrope with fatigue.
That was why it had taken some time to consider various variables.
A Nightmare Mode Labyrinth changed its appearance in real time, but it had its own rules.
After all, even this nightmare Labyrinth existed to be cleared by adventurers.
In other words, structurally impossible-to-clear map layouts did not exist.
For example, there was a rule like this.
-A monster encounter and a trap cannot occur consecutively.
Therefore, the tiles around paths where a monster or trap existed were either empty passages or item chests.
This was something one naturally acquired after playing the game for a long time.
Once one grew even more stagnant after that, one could tell what type of Labyrinth it was and in what order the maze would change its paths just by looking at the first scene.
‘Three passages in the first room. Left is empty, front has mobs, right has a chest. Pattern C. Since the left passage closed first, this is Pattern C-3.’
If I ran straight along the Labyrinth map updating in real time inside my head like this!
《Remaining distance to boss room: 300 m》
《Remaining distance to boss room: 200 m》
⁝
《Remaining distance to boss room: 100 m》
Along with that, if I checked my fatigue as well...
【Current Fatigue: 62】
This was the branching point.
The remaining distance to the boss room was 100 m.
If I continued straight like this, I would fight the boss with my fatigue around 50.
However, that was not what I wanted.
“Stop!”
“Yes!”
“Yes, Honored Sage!”
An ordinary stone floor lay before my eyes.
However, I could see extremely small monsters nestled between the stones.
These fellows were called Tired Mold.
The ‘Overwork’ debuff they applied did not inflict direct damage, but it had the effect of greatly reducing a summon’s fatigue.
Moreover, once one burst, it would cause a chain reaction and instantly reduce fatigue to 0.
There were probably countless adventurers who had died after touching one of these by mistake.
However, this time, I had to take that risk.
After all, this was the only route that could reach the boss room with single-digit fatigue.
‘The problem is that I need to drop my fatigue exactly as much as I want through these things...’
This mold’s debuff only activated under certain conditions.
【Less Sensitive Mushroom Cap】
Description: This mycelium is quite dull for a mushroom! Because it has a Less Sensitive Mushroom Cap, it only sprays Overwork Spores when its vitality drops by more than 50% or when a certain amount of pressure is applied.
Look at that damn trait.
It said it would spray spores only when its vitality dropped by more than 50% or when a certain amount of pressure was applied.
That was why I had to check how densely they were clustered before moving.
If the mold had bloomed relatively sparsely, I could step on them one by one and adjust fairly easily.
If it was the opposite situation, then I would have to run quickly without stopping.
I bent down and examined the mold attached to the stone floor.
They were not even 1 cm in size, so my eyes felt like they would fall out.
When I stared holes into the floor, Caligo, who was beside me, also inspected the floor along with me.
“Oho. Tired Mold! It has truly been a while since I last saw it.”
“You should take a good look too. You will soon have to inhale it to your heart’s content.”
At a rough glance, it seemed we could adjust fatigue to around 20 just by walking, without needing to stop or run.
Looking at the distribution across the four stone floor tiles gave me the rough answer.
How fortunate that my past self had possessed such perverse tendencies.
After all, I had memorized and cleared even such trivial details as if they were formulas.
“Let us go now. I will take the lead, so match my pace.”
“Yes!”
“I shall slowly savor the Overwork Spores!”
The moment I stepped on the first stone tile, I heard a sound like air escaping from a soccer ball.
PSSSSSS.
It was the sound of the mold’s spores rising.
And after walking a few steps...
《You have been exposed to Tired Mold’s Overwork Spores, and fatigue decreases.》
《Fatigue decreases by 3.》
《Fatigue decreases by 7.》
⁝
《Fatigue decreases by 4.》
The fatigue decreased smoothly.
However, if I was unlucky, there would be a variable around this point.
It was a trap that appeared with low probability, and I wanted to avoid encountering it if possible.
I hoped we could pass comfortably, but...
-CLICK!
‘Right. With my luck, there was no way we would just pass through.’
However, I had also included this in my calculations in advance.
“Lower your heads! After that, roll once to the right, jump once forward, and break straight through!”
SWISH!
SWISH!
WHOOSH!
Three arrows flew through the spores.
However, our party, moving according to my orders, did not take even the slightest damage.
“Haha, it is delightful to hear them again after so long! Honored Sage’s emergency commands!”
“Master is someone who has mastered the principles of the world. There is no way mere arrows like these could trouble him.”
“As expected!”
I responded to Hert and Caligo’s words with a blank expression.
In truth, it was because I did not want them to find out that I had been extremely anxious about whether I could react in time.
After going through that one crisis, my fatigue had fallen to the value I wanted.
【Current Fatigue: 17】
‘Good. Just as calculated.’
Then from here, it was a straight line to the boss room.
And when we broke through the mold zone like that...
【Current Fatigue: 8】
The party finally arrived in front of the boss room.
It was a gate engraved with the face of an ogre, impressive with its large black skin and red eyes.
Upon seeing it, Caligo burned with fighting spirit.
“Hertia. I will conduct this battle.”
“You? Can you even conduct it?”
“Of course! My poison is extremely lethal, you know. I could even make the World Tree scream in agony.”
“That is... welcome news. If the next World Tree grows, I ask that you do so. I definitely want to hear those screams.”
It seemed he was in sync with Hertia for the first time in a while.
“Then I will look forward to it, Caligo.”
“Yes! Honored Sage. I will be sure to show you how much I have grown!”
《Entering the boss room.》
《Defeat the Blood-Starved Berserker Ogre.》