Chapter 89
Chapter 89
-Kyahhhhhng!
-Koo-roong! Koohng koohng!
He heard the roar of monsters, and it grated against his ears . There were two of them . He had been burned really badly when monsters had teamed-up against him in the Beginner’s Labyrinth . That was why he reflexively raised his s.h.i.+eld and looked towards the source of the sounds .
He saw a Fang Boar and a Slash Cat a distance away . The Fang Boar was tough and durable, and also capable of executing a ferocious charge . The Slash Cat was agile, and it could execute a powerful blow with its paw . It was a combination of monsters that made Sungyoon wary .
However, he had been worried for nothing .
-Kyahhhhk!
The Slash Cat swung its claws, which were sharp like knives . The attack struck the target as it let out a terrifying sound . However, the Slash Cat’s target wasn’t Sungyoon .
Its target was the Fang Boar .
-Gweeeeeek!
The Fang Boar had thick leather, but the Slash Cat’s claws were very sharp . It made a long gash in the Fang Boar’s leather . Blood flew into the air . However, the Fang Boar didn’t take the attack lying down, and it blindly charged towards the Slash Cat with its tusks raised .
-Kyaaaang!
The Slash Cat jumped high into the air to dodge its enemy’s charge . As it dodged, it once again slashed the Fang Boar’s back .
Afterward, it used its agility to dodge the Fang Boar’s attacks and continued to attack various locations on the Fang Boar’s body .
In a flash, the Fang Boar had become covered in blood .
It was obvious that the Slash Cat was sitting pretty, but the result of the fight was still up in the air . Although the Slash Cat was able to inflict deep cuts, the Fang Boar hadn’t suffered any critical wounds . Above all else, the Slash Cat was less durable than the Fang Boar . If the Slash Cat was. .h.i.t even once, there was a high chance it would die .
Sungyoon"s prediction came true .
-Gwehhhhhhhhhk!
The Fang Boar had become enraged from being continuously attacked . It let out an angry roar as it charged again . Once again, the Slash Cat tried to jump into the air to dodge the attack . However, the Fang Boar had slightly modified its attack from before .
Tah-aht!
Its ma.s.sive body flew into the air . The Fang Boar dived head-first into the air to reach the Slash Cat . The Slash Cat made quick adjustments to dodge the attack . The Fang Boar could throw its body all around, but it wouldn’t be able to catch the agile Slash Cat . However, this Fang Boar was persistent .
-Ggweeek!
The Fang Boar swung its head towards the direction where the Slash Cat had dodged . Its head couldn’t touch the Slash Cat, but it was a different story for its tusks . It was a close call, but the Fang Boar’s tusks had managed to graze the back legs of the Slash Cat .
-Kyaaaaaaahk!
The Slash Cat let out a scream . Blood poured out from its back legs like a waterfall .
Boom!
Puhk!
The sound of two bodies cras.h.i.+ng to the ground could be heard . The heavy body of the Fang Boar and the light body of the Slash Cat rolled across the floor . The Fang Boar’s body was full of b.l.o.o.d.y wounds, but it was still lively . In fact, its anger was fueling its movement . Contrastly, the Slash Cat had lost most of its mobility when its legs became injured .
The situation had been reversed .
The Fang Boar immediately got up and charged towards the Slash Cat . The Slash Cat limped as it tried to dodge the attack, but the loss of mobility was devastating for the Slash Cat .
-Kyahhhhhhhk!
The Slash Cat let out a despairing yowl . It was being ruthlessly attacked by the Fang Boar as if the latter wanted to pay back for all it had suffered until that moment . It stabbed with its tusks, and then, stomped the Slash Cat with its feet . It also took a big bite out of the Slash Cat with its teeth . The Slash Cat was tortured for a long time by the Fang Boar . Finally, the Slash Cat’s scream came to an end .
-Gweeeeeeek!
Was it a roar of victory? The Fang Boar let out a long roar in front of the dead Slash Cat .
‘Is it a territorial fight?’
This was the first time he had witnessed monsters fighting each other to death .
Most of the Beginner’s Labyrinth had been cleared of monsters, so their population density was very low . This was why the monsters only attacked the Connectors . The monsters were indifferent to each other . In some cases, monsters even teamed-up with each other to attack Connectors . He had experienced it before . However, this was a Personal Labyrinth . Moreover, it was one that had never been touched before . An incredible number of monsters were residing within this labyrinth . Of course, the infighting would be fierce .
The Slash Cat’s body was swept up in light, and the only thing left behind was a moonstone . The Fang Boar sniffed at the moonstone . In the next moment, it put its mouth close to the moonstone .
Boom!
Just then, Sungyoon hit the wall of the labyrinth with his s.h.i.+eld . He had put all his strength behind it, yet he couldn’t even scratch the wall . But his intent wasn’t to damage the wall .
-Gweeek?
The Fang Boar, who had been about to swallow the moonstone, turned its head . Sungyoon intentionally stomped his feet to get its attention .
‘That’s a waste . ’
A monster would not become stronger by eating moonstones from other monsters . It could heal wounds to a certain extent, and it might provide a small boost in its energy . However, that was it . But still, the moonstone disappeared once the monster ate it . It meant Sungyoon would make less money .
-Gwehhhhhhhk!
Fortunately, the monster in front of him gave up on eating the moonstone . It charged towards Sungyoon, and red blood flew into the alongside his charge . It was a scary sight .
However, Sungyoon’s expression didn’t change . When the Fang Boar arrived in front of him, he took a quick step to the side .
The Slash Cat had used this tactic . When the Fang Boar would charge, its lateral movement to either side became challenged . The only thing Sungyoon had to be careful about was its long tusks . They were one-meter long, and it could attack with the tusks even if the connector had dodged the charge . He just had to be mindful of that .
Kwah-jeek!
-Gwehhhhhhhhk!
The mace impacted its back and left a deep crater . The Fang Boar was frothing at the mouth with blood, and it struggled in a violent manner . Sungyoon calmly swung his mace once again . This time, he was aiming for the head .
Kwah-doo-doohk!
The Fang Boar’s head completely exploded . Its eyes and tongue shot out, and brain matter scattered into the surrounding .
Tul-suhk!
Its enormous body fell to the ground . Sungyoon coldly stared at the dead body, and he collected the moonstone when it appeared . Then, he moved a distance away and picked up the Slash Cat’s moonstone . He looked at his watch .
‘I should start heading back now . ’
If he didn’t start his return-journey now, he probably would spend the whole night here . However, he hadn’t brought any camping gear . Above all else, he didn’t have any party members . He didn’t want to spend the night here .
‘I have to think about the eventuality of me sleeping within the labyrinth . ’
Sungyoon didn’t hesitate as he turned around . He didn’t mind staying up for a couple of days, but he didn’t want to do that when he had to fight life and death battles with the monsters .
He always took a left when he arrived at a fork, so he just needed to do the exact opposite . He only had to take a right when heading back . Sungyoon had already cleared all the monsters, so he didn’t encounter any monsters on his way back .
‘Did this labyrinth experience a rise in its population already?’
An abnormal occurrence had occurred with the monsters . He remembered the conversation he had with Emily in the past . Almost all the labyrinths were showing signs of anomalous activity, and the H-023 labyrinth probably wasn’t an exception either .
‘I guess it doesn’t matter if there is an increase in the monster’s population here . ’
Basically, this situation would only be a problem for the labyrinths that were frequented by Connectors . The monster population within these labyrinths were kept down by Connectors . Unlike those labyrinths, this labyrinth had been a.s.signed for the first time to Sungyoon . The number of monsters within this labyrinth probably kept increasing every Mana Stream until a limit would be reached . If more monsters were added beyond this limit, the monsters would fight each other to stake out their territory, and the population would go back down to normal .
‘It’s fine . Even if more monsters do come out, I have no baseline to make any comparison . ’
Even if he wanted to make a comparison, he didn’t know what Personal Labyrinths were like before the anomalous monster activities . He had no idea how much more dangerous his labyrinth was . This was why he just made a resolve to be a bit more careful .
He slowly walked towards the entrance of the labyrinth . This was how his first raid within his Personal Labyrinth ended .
* * *
Time pa.s.sed like that . Sungyoon’s daily routine didn’t differ much from his routine for the Beginner’s Labyrinth . The only things changed were where he slept, and that he was in a different labyrinth . When he woke up, he ate the vitamin pack as a meal . After his hunt within the labyrinth, he returned to the Moon Surface Vehicle to sleep . Every day, he worked like a machine .
On the first floor of this labyrinth, he had only encountered the stronger version of monsters he had seen in the Beginner’s Labyrinth . It was an encouraging sign that this labyrinth was higher in rank than the Beginner’s Labyrinth . Still, it was still impossible for him to clear this labyrinth in earnest . He was barely able to explore the region near the entrance .
He was worried about getting lost, so he never went deep within the labyrinth .
Despite this fact, the storage compartment had become filled with moonstones . The labyrinth was stuffed with monsters, so he just needed to fight the ones near the entrance . When the region near the entrance would become empty, it would create a vacuum . Monsters, who were deeper within, would start to slowly crawl out into the empty region .
Anyway, he was able to acquire a good amount of moonstones within the past three weeks .
Finally, the Mana Stream was about to hit this labyrinth .
However, Sungyoon didn’t immediately leave . He had to check something .
He slowly approached the entrance of the labyrinth . He felt a different sensation, unlike the previous day .
The magical energy within the labyrinth was going crazy .
Until now, the magical energy had been like the calm water within a lake . But currently, the magical energy was like fierce waves underneath a typhoon .
‘If I have enough magical energy to activate a Jewel rank Gem, I can withstand the Mana Stream . ’
He wanted to use this opportunity to experience the Mana Stream . Sungyoon’s goal was to reach the Great Labyrinth, and it was said that there was a constant Mana Stream going on within the Great Labyrinth .
Sungyoon gulped as he took a step into the entrance of the labyrinth .
Flinch!
He felt an electric sensation rise from the end of his foot . The fierce magical energy within the labyrinth ruthlessly battered against his foot . The man immediately felt it . If he were a low-level Connector, his foot would have been instantly pulverized . He would have died as blood poured out of his wound . What would happen if the head or the body of a low-rank Connector went into a Mana Stream? He could easily imagine the consequences .
Fortunately, nothing unusual happened to Sungyoon .
He moved his other foot, and then, put his entire body into the Mana Stream .
‘It doesn’t have much influence on my movement . ’
However, he continued to feel the magical energy batter against his body .
He activated his Gems . The magical energy of the Gems activated within the fierce current of Mana Stream . His equipment appeared around his body, and his physical abilities were enhanced .
Hoohng!
He swung his mace, struck out with his s.h.i.+eld, and then punched and kicked the air .
He felt a minimal difference .
‘I feel fine . I think I can hunt within the Mana Stream . ’
His magical energy could withstand the violent current of the Mana Stream . It wasn’t as if his movement had slowed down .
However, Sungyoon gave up on that idea .
‘There is a chance I might meet a monster that I can’t handle at my current level . ’
Sungyoon turned back without regret . He planned on going back to Armstrong, and he would return to Earth on a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p .
It happened at that moment .
A light appeared within the labyrinth . It was bright enough to chase away the faint sunlight that came in from the outside . He turned his body back in surprise .
A small but very bright ball of light was floating in the air . It rippled like a living organism, and in a flash, the ball of light grew bigger . The magical energy in its surrounding went crazy, swirling around the ball of light . Sungyoon’s mouth had fallen open as he blankly stared at the majestic and mysterious light .
Unlike its impact on Sungyoon, the light didn’t last for long .
Hoohk!
The light went out . It was as if the labyrinth had never been illuminated . The labyrinth was once again filled with absolute darkness . However, Sungyoon was capable of receiving external information through magical energy, so he clearly saw what had happened .
Something had appeared where the light had emerged .