Taylor watched Francesco very carefully, mostly ignoring Riccardo’s attempts to engage in casual conversation. Francesco said he wanted to stay back to examine the area around where they fought the minotaurs, but she suspected there was more to it than just that. However, for nearly an hour, that’s exactly what he did. Starting back from where they fought the first one, he slowly went down the other branching paths and carefully looked at the walls, oftentimes tapping against the walls with the tip of his spear.

He continued this behaviour for every other path from where they fought the first minotaur, and then, eventually, he seemed satisfied with this area and backtracked so as to continue the search in the area where they fought the second minotaur. He then repeated his behaviour with those alternate paths as well.

Just as Taylor started thinking that maybe she had misunderstood him and that he was just some overly paranoid Dungeoneer, he suddenly paused right after tapping on another part of the wall. He took a step back, looked it up and down, and then suddenly thrust his spear into the wall. His spear penetrated the wall, and black blood gushed out of the hole. Then, a segment of the wall, about ten feet high and ten feet across, suddenly disappeared into a mass of thick, mist-like vapour. When it cleared, another path, one not marked on the map, was revealed.

“H- how did you know? What even was that? Are the walls monsters?!” Taylor started looking around in a panic as Riccardo and Francis also suddenly became much more tense.

“No. Well, technically, yes.”

“What does that mean?!” Taylor asked, not the least bit satisfied with his response.

“Francesco, please explain the situation to us right now,” Riccardo said as a sort of half-order. Francesco paused for a bit as he scanned ahead of them, looking down the new path.

“Let’s keep going.” Francesco had apparently decided that it wasn’t worth elaborating. However, both Taylor and Riccardo grabbed him before he started down the new path. Francis remained at the back.

“Enough! Tell me what’s going on!” Taylor demanded.

Francesco, I won’t ask you to go into all the details, but at least tell me what you are going to do next,” Riccardo requested.

“Okay…” It seemed like Francesco was about to explain everything, but instead, he just took a really long pause as he sorted out the information in his own head. How did he know anything about this labyrinth? Well, it was simply because he has encountered several of them before. He encountered different types of labyrinths, and one of them was exactly like the one they are in now.

The living labyrinth. The name that was given to these artificial dungeons created by the Sorcerer God and his followers. In particular, this was the least threatening of the labyrinths, as it was originally designed as a tutorial labyrinth. Not a tutorial for the residents of Allenven, but for those who wished to join the ranks of the various gods of the Pantheon, including, of course, joining the Sorcerer God. A lone challenger would navigate through the labyrinth, and if they reached the end goal in a set amount of time, they would be given the opportunity of serving one of the Gods of the Pantheon.

However, that seems quite different from how this current labyrinth is, though? Well, they were tutorial labyrinths for challengers, but for anyone else, the labyrinth would redesign itself. Using golems that took on the appearance of walls, they could change the pathways and even create pits and other traps. For the soldiers and knights of Allenven, it was better to simply not even enter these tutorial labyrinths since they did not contain anything worthwhile. However, there was still a need to clear them out for two reasons. One, it was to prevent others from being tempted to challenge the trials and then serve the Gods that they were at war with. Two, from the outside, they were nearly indistinguishable from other labyrinths that did actually serve as fortresses for the Gods’ followers.

But still, how did Francesco know that this was a tutorial labyrinth even before he entered it, as opposed to the other types. He could not be completely sure, but there were three reasons that made him almost certain of his assumption. One, the monsters inside the labyrinth were minotaurs. In particular, they were minotaurs that did not possess engraved weapons. Speaking from personal experience of his past life, there were never any fortress labyrinths that would use such weak monsters as guards. Two, the engravings on the final door. Francesco knew that the engraving represented the phases of the moon. This was not a mark for the Sorcerer God himself, but one of his Apostles. From what he knew, the Sorcerer God left it up to his four Apostles to make tutorial labyrinths, so this was another reason why this was likely a tutorial labyrinth. As for the third and final reason, there was just the matter of progression. No tutorial labyrinths had spawned so far, so to suddenly skip them and go straight into a fortress labyrinth, one that even a company of knights would have difficulty clearing, would be a huge leap in difficulty.

“Okay, what?” Taylor asked, finally breaking into Francesco’s pensive silence.

“...I have a certain Skill.” Francesco decided to lie for a variety of reasons. “It gave me an awareness of what this Dungeon might be like.”

“So, what is this Dungeon like?” Taylor asked.

“It is a labyrinth.” Taylor stared at Francesco as if he had said the most obvious thing in the world. “The labyrinth itself is a monster. The Boss Monster.” Francesco could see they were starting to look panicked again so he quickly continued. “However, it’s not the typical Boss Monster. The walls and pathways are its body, but it actually has very limited offensive capabilities. It relies on traps and monsters to defeat its foes, but as you can see, they are quite easy to deal with.”

“Trap? But, we didn’t encounter any traps.”

“Well, that’s not quite right. The part of the wall I just stabbed was a monster. I even got a Stat Point after killing it and you saw how it disappeared.” Taylor nodded, convinced at least about that part. “These monsters also have almost no offensive capability, but they can mimic the walls of the labyrinth.” Taylor seemed to get it now.

“So, it can make those kinds of traps.”

“Yes. And it is also possible that there are other traps further ahead that we simply haven’t encountered.”

“Wait, do you mean the rest of the party may have fallen into a trap?” Riccardo asked.

“Possibly,” Francesco answered. He could tell that he was about to suggest supporting them, but Francesco continued. “However, they are not particularly dangerous for most.” Francesco meant what he said, but he was also speaking from a standard that was not quite in line with the current raiding parties of Earth. “The traps are mainly meant to cause panic and confusion, or to delay or starve out trespassers. However, since we have found the hidden path, we only need to follow it to the centre of the labyrinth. That is where the core should be.”

The others looked confused again. Francesco may have said a little too much all at once. Thankfully, though, they didn’t question him further, and they finally started down the hidden path. And there were definitely many more questions they could have asked. Such as how Francesco knew that particular part of the wall was a monster, or why he thought there would be a hidden path in this area, or even about where the end door really led to? However, the others must have also felt that such questions would be better left until after the Dungeon was cleared.

There were a couple more hidden paths that Francesco had to locate, but other than that, it was a mostly uneventful trek. Then, they finally reached the centre of the labyrinth. Instead of another false wall, it was an open entrance. Inside, they could see a massive pit-like gap that spanned across the room. On the other side of the room, there was an Empowering Stone at either corner, and between the two of them was a floating, shimmering blue orb that was about one foot in diameter. Taylor wasn’t sure whether or not to be surprised that Francesco’s guesses continued to be correct.

“Well, is there anything else we should take heed of before we proceed?” Riccardo asked, as if expecting to still be a major participant.

“Maybe I can have my familiar scan the room more before we enter?” Taylor suggested. Francesco thought for a moment.

“Is your familiar capable of instantly destroying an Empowering Stone?”

“Yes, but, hold on…I’m not sure. It’s no problem destroying a C-rank Empowering Stone, but the reports state the B-rank Empowering Stones are much tougher.”

“Is speed even an issue here, Francesco?” Riccardo asked. “It shouldn’t even take Francis half a minute, even if its Defense was three times as much.”

“No, Francis should stay at the back. And yes, speed will be an issue.” Francesco clicked his tongue. To think that he, who once slew dragons, would have to think so hard about destroying the core of a simple tutorial labyrinth. If he was even as strong as when he first officially became a knight, this would be child’s play for him.

“What kind of traps are there?” Taylor asked, realizing the reason behind Francesco’s hesitation. “Other than that suspicious pit, I guess.”

“The pit itself is just that. A deep pit. Might be a bit too wide for either of you to comfortably get across, but it won’t be an issue for me. However…”

“However?”

“It’ll take me a while to destroy everything on the other side. Especially the core.” After Francesco said this, he took out a mana potion from his Inventory. He didn’t use too much mana so far, but he wanted to make sure he had as much available as possible. This sudden lack of confidence surprised all of them.

“Alright, so what’s the plan?” Riccardo asked after Francesco finished drinking the potion. Taylor also looked at him expectantly. Instead of answering, though, Francesco took up a throwing stance and launched his spear at the far right Empowering Stone like a javelin. Immediately after throwing it, he rushed into the room. The instant he did, the entire room started to shake as the ceiling collapsed.

Dozens of stone blocks came raining down the entrance half of the room. However, Francesco was just too fast. The first stone to break was the Empowering Stone as Francesco’s spear drove straight through it. Then, before reaching the pit, Francesco recalled his spear and it flew back to him, who was already in another throwing stance. He launched his spear into the second Empowering Stone and immediately leapt across the pit before any of the falling stones could get close.

The second Empowering Stone was instantly destroyed as well, and at that moment, the colour of the labyrinth’s core changed from blue to green. However, after Francesco used his Telekinesis Skill to recall his spear again, the colour of the labyrinth’s core changed again, this time from green to yellow. Francesco, as well as every other Dungeoneer, must have received notice of this, but Francesco was only focused on finishing this as quickly as he could.

The moment the spear was in his hands once more, he used every sort of enchantment and empowerment he had access to strengthen his next attack. Having crossed the gap, the labyrinth core must have sensed its imminent destruction, and now even the ceiling on this half of the room was collapsing. Francesco raced towards the core as he finished applying all of his known buffs to his spear. Then, at the optimal distance, he launched his final attack and plunged his spear into the core. Hundreds of sparks of magical energy erupted outwards when the point of his spear made contact with the labyrinth’s core, and then his spear tip drove itself past the core’s shell, causing a small fracture. However, that was it.

The spear penetrated the core, but by no more than an inch. Francesco was not completely finished, and he could definitely try to attack again, but with this level of damage, he wasn’t sure one more attack would do it. The first stones would be crashing down soon, and the ones above his head would certainly fall on him before he could launch a proper third attack.

However, he didn’t let such thoughts delay his follow-up. Francesco retracted his spear and thrust at the core once more, aiming for the small gap he had already created. Just before he did, though, he saw swirling smoke-coloured lights appear around the surface of the core. This was not something he had ever seen a labyrinth’s core do before. But, Francesco didn’t let this strange sight change what he had to do. At the very least, he didn’t perceive these new lights as dangerous to himself.

The tip of his spear dug into the core again, and more sparks began erupting around the opening of the core as the crack grew wider. Then, with more ease than he expected, the spear slid itself deeper into the core and the cracks across the core spanned across more than half of its surface. His spear tip reached the very centre of the core, and the shimmering light of the core suddenly went out, just like a bulb that had blown its fuse. The core was no longer floating, and as it suddenly fell to the ground, it pulled Francesco’s spear along with it. Francesco was pulled downwards onto the ground just as the rest of the ceiling finished crumbling down upon him.

*****

One minute. From the time when the rest of the raiding party activated the trap, up until the point when Francesco destroyed the labyrinth’s core, only one minute had passed. In this single minute, had they merely waited for that little bit of time, what could have been avoided?

The ceiling fell apart and massive chunks of stone fell down on the Dungeoneers below. Some were just stone, but most were the golem monsters. They had next to zero offensive power, but with their incredibly high Defense, if they landed square on your head, it could even kill a surprised C-rank Dungeoneer. Even if they didn’t land on your head, they could still crush your feet, your hands, your back, or, well, basically any part of your body if your Defense wasn’t high enough. There were three Dungeoneers who lacked the luck or the Defense to survive the initial bombardment.

However, when the ceiling fell apart, it wasn’t just stone that fell on them. There were snakes as well, and not just any snakes, of course. What can you expect from a snake that lives in a B-rank Dungeon? As far as their appearances and defensive abilities went, they were not much different from ordinary vipers. Instead, the danger was in their fangs. The viper’s fangs could bypass most of a Dungeoneer’s Defense Stat, and then when the fangs bit through flesh, they would inject their venom. Ordinary venom was nearly harmless against the Stamina Stat of most C-rank Dungeoneers, but this venom was, of course, magical in nature. Only Poison Resistance or other similar Skills would protect you from the effects of the venom.

The effects of the venom included dizziness, weakness, and impaired motor functions. The bite was also very painful, and screams could be heard throughout the dark chamber a few seconds after the ceiling collapsed. As far as lethality goes, the venom could almost be considered non-lethal as the venom itself does not exactly kill you directly. Of course, the side effects, when in battle, could certainly cause one to make a mistake or slip up that would cost someone their life. However, the venom is still considered lethal because it prevents blood clotting. Unless the venom is treated, the bite wounds will never heal, and the bleeding will never cease. Constantly receiving blood transfusions or drinking health potions would keep you alive, but, otherwise, it would be a somewhat slow, but gradually agonizing death.

Most of the Dungeoneers, in a wild panic, desperately and blindly defended themselves against the hidden threats as the screams throughout the chamber only made it harder to stay focused as time went on. Miel, with her animalistic instincts, easily evaded the falling stones and the vipers. Angela, a bit less agile, was more concerned about Miel’s whereabouts and was panicking because she did not know where she went. She frantically moved about as the stones harmlessly smashed against her indomitable body. As the panic continued, amidst the screams of pain and shouts for help, Miel called out to Angela.

“Angela, can you hear me!” Although still blind, Angela immediately turned towards Miel’s voice.

“Miel, where are you? Are you okay?!” she shouted back, oblivious to the plight of those around her.

“I’m fine! Follow my voice! I will lead you back to the closed entrance so that you can break it open and we can all get out of here!” Without waiting for affirmation, Miel started moving towards the blocked off entrance. Thanks to a particular Skill, Miel possessed a form of night vision which was even potent enough to allow her to kill the snakes around her. If she wanted to, it would also be possible to kill all the snakes one by one, but she didn’t want to do that because it would still take her a long time to do so, since many of the snakes were also slinking around underneath and between the rubble, and she thought it would be more expedient to evacuate everyone instead. She did, however, still kill any snakes she came across as she led Angela back to the entrance, calling out to her every couple seconds.

They quickly returned to the entrance and Miel smacked her hand against the stone slab that blocked the way out. The sound let Angela know where to hit. Angela asked to make sure Miel was out of the way, and then proceeded to ram at the stone. It shuddered from the first attempt, cracked from the second, and crumbled into pieces on the third. Light shone into the chamber once more, finally revealing the horrible state the rest of the Dungeoneers had found themselves in. At the same time, all the Dungeoneers then received the two Empowering Stone notifications one right after the other. Then, mere seconds later, all the snakes were suddenly pacified, and calmly moved away from the Dungeoneers to slowly slither around. Miel looked upon the still-not-quite tranquil scene for a couple seconds before fully registering what must have happened. Under the newfound light, Angela looked to Miel like a lost puppy that found its owner again.

“Let’s bring everyone outside,” Miel said in a much softer voice now.

*****

After exiting the Dungeon and giving a brief summary of the events, a heated argument erupted. Miel and the remaining able-bodied East Prussian Dungeoneer blamed the other Prussian Dungeoneers for their reckless behaviour which had caused five deaths thus far and hospitalized fifteen others. Herr Schumann and his two associates deflected the blame by insisting that the East Prussians voluntarily entered the chamber with them and that they were in agreement with their actions when they did not object. Of course, the other side argued that they were misrepresenting what really happened. When the EA official asked for input from Taylor and the rest, they had nothing to add, since they were not present at the chamber. Herr Schumann cited that as another reason why fault falls on everyone collectively, and since they were all Dungoneers who understood the risks, everyone should be expected to take on whatever consequences befell them.

They broke up and went their separate ways, with Miel feeling especially bitter about the situation. Part of her was even silently blaming the East Prussians since if they didn’t let their pride get in the way, then only those aristocratic Prussian Dungeoneers would have suffered for their recklessness. Angela, clearly seeing how upset Miel was, cheerfully tried to suggest getting some desserts. Miel wondered whether to comment on her somewhat tactless suggestion, but she ended up feigning a smile and agreeing. Francesco looked at the pair of them curiously as they left.

“Did they suddenly catch your eye?” Taylor asked Francesco suddenly. He turned to face her and noticed that Francis and Riccardo were nowhere to be seen. “I asked them if I could speak to you alone for a bit.”

“I see. Well, to answer your question, I was just being a bit envious.”

“Of those two? Why, you want a sister?”

“I do not particularly desire having a sibling.” Francesco answered that part of the question, not understanding that Taylor was joking. “But, I am envious of the strength of the older one. She said she smashed through the closed entrance of the chamber.”

“So? You were the one who destroyed the labyrinth core. That seems like something that would take a lot more strength.”

“It does, but I only did so using my spear and every form of empowerment I had available. I also have you to thank for weakening it during my second attack.” Taylor was taken aback and was far too slow in recomposing herself to fake her next response.

“How did you know about that?” she asked.

“A labyrinth core does not possess any abilities that include smoke-coloured lights. Also, I have a pretty good idea on what my own strength is like, and the damage I dealt in my second attack was beyond my expected range.”

“But how did you know it was me?”

“If it were Francis or Riccardo, they would have told me.” Taylor looked like she was about to hit herself on the head.

“Ah, right. Yeah, I guess that does make it pretty obvious. I was kind of hoping you would just chalk it up to getting in a really good hit.”

“I always get in a really good hit.” Francesco wasn’t trying to joke, but Taylor laughed anyway. Francesco didn’t understand what she was laughing about, but continued. “I assume you wish for me to keep your Skill a secret.”

“Yeah, that would be nice. It has a really short duration and a really long cooldown so it’s really only useful for massive, final blows, but if others find out I can debuff a Boss Monster, everyone is going to always expect me to participate in the hardest Dungeon raids. Heck, they’ll probably even pester me to deal with Outbreaks as well.”

“I see. Well, if you wish to remain in obscurity, then so be it.” Taylor leered at Francesco a bit for his remark.

“Well, let’s just say I like to keep some secrets about myself if it involves risking my life. Aren’t you the same?” Francesco considered arguing back that their secrets were not at the same level, but he realized that would only cause her to press him for further details. However, he didn’t think it would be good to just remain silent again, so he tried to think of a proper response. This, of course, would have caused awkward silence anyways, but Taylor suddenly received a text and excused herself for a moment to read it. With the added time, Francesco finally knew what to say.

“Yes, I suppose you might be right about that.” Taylor looked at him with a tint of confusion.

“Hey, um…do you mind signing something for me? Well, not for me, but for a friend of mine.”

“...Sure.”

“He’s this really big fan of Dungeoneers, and he even keeps begging the Earth Alliance to let him write articles about them on their website.”

“So…he’s a journalist on Dungeoneers?”

“Um, well, I guess you could say that. Writing those kinds of articles isn’t his main job, though.” Taylor dumbly searched her clothes for something for Francesco to sign.

“What’s his name?” Francesco asked as he took out some paper from his Inventory.

“Uh, do you always just carry that around in your Inventory?”

“Riccardo says I should since I have a lot of fans.” Taylor smirked a bit at his remark.

“Yeah, I guess you do.” Francesco then took out a marker. “Make it out to Zack.”

“Just Zack?”

“Zack Liner.”

“Okay.” Francesco signed the paper and then handed it over to Taylor.

“Thanks. Hopefully, he’ll finally stop asking me about this stuff, but knowing him…what’s this?” Taylor pointed to something else on the paper.

“My phone number. It’s something a lot of people ask for.” Taylor cocked an eyebrow at him, thinking that maybe Francesco Ricci wasn’t a completely changed man after all. But then, she put on a bit of a mischievous smile.

“Oh, Zack’s going to love that.”