Chapter 118 : To the Labyrinth (4)

Explosive smoke rises black from the spot where the marauders once were.

Like that, I won’t be able to recover even half of what the marauders possessed, but it didn’t really matter.

“Wh, What in the…….”

Because of the mask, I don’t know what expression Luna is making right now, but I think she’s probably gaping.

Indeed, her widely opened eyes were reflecting in the mask’s lenses.

“Uh, um…… so, that is…… a gun, right? A real gun.”

“Yeah.”

“How on earth a gun……. No no, it’s weird, what is it, really?”

Luna, as if unable to hide her confusion, even took off her plague mask and threw it, looking at me.

“Is that real?”

“Didn’t you see it just now? And if possible, it would be good to put the mask back on.”

“No but…….”

Even after seeing that scene just a moment ago, Luna gently caressed the AKR-74 Assault Rifle as if she still couldn’t believe it.

“……Is it real? It’s hot.”

“Didn’t I say so?”

“Th, That is true but! Even so, a gun…… I just don’t understand right now. Just why is there a gun here?”

“There are circumstances.”

“Those circumstances again? Just what kind of circumstances that a gun is here…… you’re not going to tell me anyway, right?”

“You will know later when the time comes.”

“Hmph.”

Luna shook her head as if fed up.

“Even so, I don’t understand, isn’t something like a gun an object that shouldn’t exist in this world? I really don’t understand.”

That was something I entirely agreed with as well.

If the object called a gun wasn’t so heterogeneous in this world, would the people here give a laughable nickname like Mage of Thunder?

“Well.”

“Talking as if you don’t know anything, the very person who took out the gun.”

“Because it’s true that I also don’t know well about that part.”

It wasn’t particularly a lie.

The Weapon Summon trait obtained by offering every price to the Ascension Stone was still a mystery itself.

Let alone that the Ascension Stone itself was a very big lump of mystery.

“Ha.”

Luna shook her head from side to side and put on the plague mask again.

“The bulletin board too…… I really don’t know a thing about what is happening and how. Is it true that we can return to our home?”

“Do you want to return home?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you, Lord Cain?”

Once, I had thought about that.

The thought that I wanted to live inside the World of Justice.

Thinking about it now, it’s an absurd thought, but to me who was a severe game addict at the time, the World of Justice was everything.

Well…… not now though.

“I do want to return now.”

“You mean you weren’t before?”

“Well…… could be.”

“Why is the answer so vague?”

“Because it actually is so.”

Setting that aside…….

Anyway, this experiment was quite meaningful.

Equipment worn by a player of about average level 5 can block ordinary 7.62x39mm rounds not loaded with Demonic energy, but it couldn’t block the explosive power of the grenade.

‘If I load Demonic energy here too, I could just pierce through most players’ armor.’

And also.

‘I wanted to test Demonic Energy Emission too but…… well, there will be an opportunity next time.’

Anyway, the exploration of Akiro’s Labyrinth has just begun.

“Let’s take those things first.”

“Ah, okay.”

Most of the equipment the marauders were wearing or items they had turned to ashes in the explosion of the grenade, but not all items were like that.

I don’t know if the marauder’s body acted as a shield or if they used quite sturdy backpacks, but some items inside the backpack were intact even in the explosion.

Especially, in the case of gold or silver coins, they didn’t lose their shape even in the explosion of the grenade.

“Wow, how much is this? They really robbed a lot.”

“Putting it all together, it would be roughly 100 gold.”

“These bastards were completely golden goblins, weren’t they? Jackpot.”

Considering that most users in World of Justice preferred to hold assets in items like equipment rather than currency like gold coins, it was highly likely that this 100 gold was money the marauders collected inside Akiro’s Labyrinth.

“Let’s see…… quite a lot of useful things? Just have to put them up on the Auction House as soon as we leave the labyrinth.”

“You put them up.”

“Huh? Can I do that?”

“You spent some money buying the Plague Set anyway, didn’t you?”

“Ugh…… I was forgetting about that. Okay. Then I keep the money from selling these?”

“Yeah.”

Anyway, these items wouldn’t amount to much even if sold on the Auction House, so it was better to be generous and act like I was doing a favor.

Above all, if I do this, won’t Luna carry those things until we leave the labyrinth?

“What do we do about food? It’s not like the food we brought is insufficient, should we just throw it away?”

“Let’s keep it for now, if we meet other players in the safe zone, we might be able to sell it at a high price.”

“Aha. Okey-dokey.”

The safe zone within Akiro’s Labyrinth inevitably becomes a space where players exploring the labyrinth gather.

Since the Auction House function couldn’t be used within Akiro’s Labyrinth, naturally the value of food skyrockets inside.

Although the luggage will increase a bit because of that, I have to endure that for the future.

“Roughly done. Let’s depart.”

Luna, having finished preparing, looked at the forest dyed in pitch-black darkness and said.

“It’s sudden but…… you’re sure you know the way, right?”

“Don’t worry.”

I added.

“Because it’s a place where I died hundreds of times more.”

***

A maze made of forest might seem like one can break through between trees acting as walls at a glance, but if one did such a thing, they could have the rare experience of being eaten by living trees.

It’s not called a labyrinth for nothing.

While following the path like that, we encountered a few demonic beasts, but since they were merely demonic beasts between level 3 and 4, we could deal with them without great difficulty.

In that process, I was able to test the Demonic Energy Emission trait I obtained this time.

──────────────

[Demonic Energy Emission]

Grade : A

Type : Passive

Emits Demonic energy to improve physical abilities and also protects the body.

Upon attack, Demonic energy materializes and attacks the target.

──────────────

Hmm, constant Demonic Energy Emission…….

In other words, if the way I usually utilized Demonic energy was a sort of active skill, the Demonic Energy Emission trait was a trait that allowed it to be activated as a passive.

‘That’s not all.’

The Demonic energy I currently harbor has altered since absorbing the Destruction Dragon’s Demonic energy Luna harbored.

Perhaps because of that, every demonic beast that approached me was in a strange state.

As if a weakening effect is applied on its own just by approaching me.

‘Considering the effect the Destruction Dragon’s Demonic energy possesses, it’s not that strange really.’

The Destruction Dragon’s Demonic energy kills everything around just by its existence.

Since it mixed with such Destruction Dragon’s Demonic energy, the Demonic energy I currently possess would also have a similar effect.

However, if there is one thing bothering me, it is that the influence might also be directed towards those around me.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? About what?”

“I mean your body.”

“Bo, Body? Why my body? What are you saying right now?”

Just what is that reaction…….

It seemed the weakening effect due to Demonic Energy Emission didn’t apply to those I recognized as allies, or it didn’t work because the level difference with Luna was too great.

‘Since useless trouble doesn’t arise, I should consider it fortunate for me.’

By the way…….

Seeing the surrounding scenery darken before I knew it, it seemed it was about time to camp.

In Akiro’s Labyrinth, securing the location of a safe zone as quickly as possible is important if possible, but moving in the night labyrinth wasn’t very wise.

Because in the night labyrinth, things that shouldn’t move originally tend to move.

“Let’s camp around here for today.”

“……Sl, Sleep? Suddenly like this?”

“Is there a problem? Since it’s getting dark, moving further is dangerous.”

“Uh…… no, well. There isn’t. Yeah.”

Camping preparations proceeded quickly.

We gathered nearby branches to start a fire, laid out sleeping bags nearby, and made a spot.

“Ah, can I take this off when sleeping?”

“……Yeah, well, that much is fine.”

Since guests who would visit us at night were highly likely to have good intentions anyway, it didn’t really matter whether they saw faces or not.

Since one of the two would die anyway.

“I’ll stand the first watch.”

“……Huh? Ah, are you okay with that?”

“Yeah.”

Actually, the first watch is the sweet spot.

“Mmm, okay. Then I’ll sleep first. Wake me up later.”

“Yeah.”

Inside Akiro’s Labyrinth, the Auction House function cannot be used, but the anonymous bulletin board function can be used.

Meaning there is no time for the night watch to be boring.

‘Then shall I take a look.’

Just as I turned on the anonymous bulletin board and was about to examine this and that post about Akiro’s Labyrinth, Luna’s sleeping bag rustled unusually.

“Mmm.”

“Umm.”

“Uuuuh…….”

Luna tossed and turned a few times as if sleep wouldn’t come at all, and soon got up from the sleeping bag.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Yeah. A bit.”

“Still, it would be good to sleep, if the path is correct, it will take at least two more days to reach the safe zone.”

“……That far?”

“If you don’t know the way, it’s a distance where wandering for a few weeks wouldn’t be strange. This is plenty fast.”

“Haa.”

Luna spoke as if she thought of something.

“Ah, right. Did I mention that?”

“Mention what.”

“I saw Kim Yohan before?”

“……Yohan?”

“Yeah. He was wandering in the Demonic Realm. So tada, I appeared and saved him. He almost died.”

“Almost died?”

“Yeah. But thanks to this body, he lived.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t thought about what happened to Yohan who was in the Demonic Realm when the King of the Demonic Realm woke up.

Honestly speaking, I had forgotten about it thinking he would have escaped well on his own, but according to Luna, it seemed there was a quite dangerous situation.

“That’s fortunate.”

“Right?”

Luna’s eyes smiled in half-moon shapes.

“Yohan is foolish, but he’s a really good kid. You know?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Don’t know what he’s doing by now. Seeing that Lord Cain doesn’t know, it seems he didn’t stop by Winter Castle either.”

“He must have surely returned well.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Luna rose from her seat.

“Then I should sleep now.”

“Yeah.”

“You can’t attack me while I sleep, okay?”

“……No such thing will happen.”

Luna grinned.

“Just kidding. Then I’ll really sleep.”

“Sleep quickly, since I’ll wake you up on time even if you sleep late.”

“So cheap. Shouldn’t you cut me some slack since I kept you company?”

“No such thing.”

“Oh my.”

Not long after, the sound of Luna’s gentle breathing was heard.

Seeing the Imaginary Number-ification unfolded even while sleeping, the possibility of something happening to Luna was low even if ambushed.

Rustle, rustle─

At the sound heard from beyond the bushes, I immediately caressed the Colt Garrison B-09 I had summoned in advance inside my chest.

Should I wake Luna?

While I was thinking that, a figure popped out from between the bushes.

“He, help me!”

The figure that revealed itself screaming was none other than a young child.

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