I am an ordinary adventurer,
Trying every means possible every day just to feed myself.
Rather than an adventurer, it’s more accurate to say I’m like a handyman who does any odd job—
A person running around all day just to make a living.
Occasionally,
I would also try joining other adventurers to take on missions to subjugate low-to-mid-tier monsters.
Although the danger level was high,
The lucrative rewards still frequently tempted me beyond control.
After all, various materials from monsters were worth a fortune.
Last time, a group of adventurers brought back an Earth Dragon egg from the Great Elroe Labyrinth, along with several thread balls laid by a variant spider monster.
The value of the former went without saying.
What was astonishing was that
Those few thread balls sold for an exorbitant price at the auction.
Supposedly,
Not only was the texture of this thread smooth to the touch—not inferior to fine silk at all—it also possessed excellent magic-conducting properties.
Moreover, these thread balls had to be produced voluntarily by the spider monster itself; Otherwise, even if killed, one wouldn’t be able to obtain them.
Therefore, this spider monster that actively produced thread balls was classified by the Guild as a variant individual.
When this thread material first appeared in the world, it caused a sensation.
Many adventurers wanted to try taming this variant spider monster, or search for the thread balls it left behind.
I was naturally no exception.
The price of a single thread ball
Was even higher than the total sum of money I had risked my life to earn over many years of struggling.
I was envious,
And equally jealous of those who soared to success because of such a chance opportunity.
I wanted it too,
I wanted a chance like that too,
I wanted more money too…
I wanted a better life too…
Huh?
What’s going on?
I rubbed my temples.
…I just feel like my head has been foggy all the time lately.
I don’t seem to have been this obsessive in the past.
Maybe I’m overthinking it…
…
Over all these years,
I ran around everywhere for work,
Making many friends.
Thus, in a short amount of time,
I had already gathered a group of like-minded adventurers.
Not only did we have a ranged Mage,
A healing Priest,
An offensive Warrior,
And a defensive Shield Guardian.
We all shared a single common goal:
To find that variant spider monster.
With such thorough preparation,
It should be foolproof…
Hopefully.
May the Goddess protect us…
…
After several days of traveling,
Our party arrived near the entrance of the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
Stepping off the carriage,
I noticed many adventurers were already camping here, With many people currently forming parties all around.
We walked straight through the rings of crowds And arrived at the entrance.
After a brief conversation with the guards at the door, I learned some information.
The adventurers nearby had all come to the Great Elroe Labyrinth for the exact same purpose as us—
All for the sake of that variant spider monster.
And among those ready and fully equipped to set off, Currently, there was only our team.
Looks like we can seize the initiative!
I could almost see endless money waving at me.
Carrying such a wonderful vision,
I resolutely stepped into the labyrinth.
…
Damn it, it’s way too dark in here!
You can’t even see your own hand in front of your face.
Fortunately, the Mage on our side knows simple Fire Magic.
I feel like we’ve been inside for quite a while now.
The environment in this godforsaken place severely blurred our concept of time.
Even though everything seems fine at the moment, Let alone a spider, We haven’t encountered a single monster up until now!
What is going on…
Shouldn’t the number of monsters in the Upper Stratum of the labyrinth be huge?
This is way too abnormal.
Phew…
May the Goddess protect me…
…
Th-This…
how is this possible?!
My teammates and I stared at the labyrinth wall in front of us, Falling into terror and confusion.
This was clearly the path we came from!
Now it’s turned into a wall!
Could I have taken a wrong turn?
No…
impossible!
I tightly clutched the map in my hand,
Pea-sized beads of sweat continuously dripping down from my head.
I had clearly marked all the paths and directions we passed when we came in.
How could something like this happen!?
We had no choice
But to turn around and head in another direction, Trying to find an alternative route To search for another way out. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
I want to get out alive…
Goddess, please protect me…
…
My food is running low.
I can no longer remember how long I’ve been trapped here.
I can no longer comprehend the meaning of the word “time”…
No matter what!
We just can’t find the exit for the life of us!
Everything here feels like a brand-new labyrinth!
The maps carried by my teammates and me are all completely useless!
All those passages shown on them that should be walkable Are blocked by piles of bizarrely shaped rocks.
How could such a thing happen!
It’s as if the entire labyrinth has become movable!
I’m going crazy!
Yet despite this,
I still refuse to abandon my backpack.
A burden?
No, no, no…
Inside are materials from a few low-tier monsters we hunted.
These are all money!
How could I leave this money behind!
I dragged my trembling legs,
Continuing to walk through this godforsaken place with my teammates…
Goddess…
Goddess…
Save me…
Please save me…
…
I’m sure of it…
I’m sure of it!
The walls are changing!
The ceilings are changing!
The ground is changing!
The entire labyrinth is constantly shifting!
This is why our map failed!
The entire Great Elroe Labyrinth is constantly changing!!
I collapsed weakly onto the ground,
Unable to believe everything happening before my eyes…
…
We’re trapped…
We’re trapped inside a passage…
When we stepped into this place and walked into a dead end, Wanting to turn around and leave, What met our eyes…
Was a wall…
This place has turned into an enclosed space…
This place has turned into an enclosed space!?
My mental defense completely collapsed.
Ever since stepping into this labyrinth,
All sorts of bizarre events have been constantly battering my mind.
Maybe coming here was a mistake.
Why?
Why…
Why did I insist on coming here back then…
Coming to this godforsaken place!
My teammates and I looked at each other one by one.
We had already tried all kinds of methods
And were utterly helpless…
Even for the most veteran adventurer,
Encounters like this,
What could they possibly do…
Goddess, please…
Before I could finish my prayer,
I noticed
The labyrinth wall in front of us seemed a bit off.
It was like…
something was drilling its way out!
I was startled half to death,
Crying out in alarm,
Attracting my teammates’ attention.
This made them notice the thing on the wall as well.
What…
what is that?!
My teammates and I watched what was happening before us in utter disbelief.
That was a monster—
An extremely eerie lizard monster.
I dare swear I’ve never seen this kind of monster before, Not even in the Monster Encyclopedia cataloged by the Kingdom!
Its body size wasn’t large,
Appearing slightly slender.
On its hide, it was covered in a layer of light-gray scales that looked extremely hard.
Black patterns flowed between the scales like living things.
A pair of bright yellow vertical slits were extra conspicuous in the dense darkness.
And it just quietly lurked on the wall like that, Silently watching us; With just a single glance of eye contact, Piercing coldness penetrated my entire body.
My hair stood on end,
Cold sweat soaking my back.
Terrifying pressure pinned me dead in place,
Breathing becoming even more difficult.
My legs felt heavy as if filled with lead,
Lacking even the courage to move an inch to the side.
This…
there’s simply no chance of victory whatsoever…
I couldn’t even summon a single thought of resistance, With only thoughts of escaping immediately in my mind…
Getting far away from the monster before me!
But…
Where could I even escape to?
There was nowhere to escape at all…
Just when I thought I was going to lose my life, That lizard suddenly disappeared.
Or to be precise,
It “melted.”
Just like ice turning into water,
That lizard turned into a dark, pitch-black liquid, Merging into the countless crevices on the wall, As if fusing into one with the entire labyrinth.
Next,
Accompanied by a series of strange sounds,
The walls on both sides began to gradually contract, Continuously squeezing inward.
Watching this scene unfold before my eyes,
My pupils shrank violently in shock,
My heart filled with utter disbelief;
H-How is this possible?!
I stood dazed in place, at a complete loss.
Facing all of this that happened out of nowhere, Several teammates reacted swiftly.
They rushed forward,
Using their hands and weapons to exert force against the walls, Wanting to slow down the contraction process this way.
But…
it was undoubtedly an ant trying to shake a tree, Completely impossible to work!
We’re dead…
We’re dead…
I closed my eyes as if accepting my fate.
It’s over…
Everything is over…
I’m going to die, aren’t I…
…
When I opened my eyes again,
I was already lying in the Guild’s clinic.
What…?
I actually didn’t die?!
I sat up abruptly,
Shadows of the terror of death still lingering in my brain.
I actually….
survived?
What on earth happened…
…
Lying on the hospital bed,
I learned through conversations with others
That guards from the Church found me unconscious at the entrance of the labyrinth And brought me back to the Guild.
Strangely enough,
There were practically no injuries on my body, Only that my mind had suffered immense trauma, My consciousness wasn’t very clear either, Muttering nonsensical gibberish endlessly from my mouth, With a grayish-green scale still tightly clutched in the palm of my hand.
When I inquired about the situation of the others in the party, I received this result:
All other teammates were gone.
The answer I got was “search yielded no results,”
But I understood
They were never coming back…
…
Afterward,
Only then did I learn
That I was the sole survivor of this expedition.
Not only the sole survivor among our party,
But also the sole survivor among all adventurers who entered the labyrinth during the same period…
…
Later on,
I reported everything I saw and heard in the labyrinth To the Guild.
That scale from the unknown monster was also recovered by the Guild, And I received a certain amount of compensation.
So,
It can’t be said I gained nothing.
At least
I dragged my little life back,
Didn’t I…
-[Notice]-
“Recently,”
“Abnormal phenomena have been occurring continuously in the Upper Stratum of the Great Elroe Labyrinth.”
“Including but not limited to movement of the labyrinth wall structures,”
“Sudden changes in the state of road rocks,”
“A sharp decline in the number of low-to-mid-tier monsters, and other issues.”
“Therefore, all missions related to the Great Elroe Labyrinth have been halted recently.”
“Based on deductions from relevant reports,”
“Everything that happened may be related to a variant monster,”
“However, because there are currently no survivor records of further eyewitnesses,”
“Relevant information remains unclear at the moment;”
“Monster Species: Undetermined.”
“Danger Level: Unevaluatable.”
“The Church will dispatch dedicated personnel to investigate in the near future.”
“Adventurers, please wait patiently for news,”
“Under no circumstances should you venture into the labyrinth alone.”
“Currently,”
“Our Guild has officially named this monster:”
“<Labyrinth Creator>.”
* Adventurer’s Guild of the Kingdom of Ohts (Great Elroe Labyrinth Branch)
* Year 840 of the Kingdom Calendar, December 3rd
LanLi: The writing format/style of author is actually like this, earlier I was manually fixing it but it’s a hassle so am keeping it as it is unless you guys want me to fix it.