Daedalus, the genius of the divine realm, constructed the white skyscraper Babel. It has maintained its majesty in the heart of Orario since the beginning of the Age of Gods a millennium ago, when the deities first descended to this world. He was a brilliant yet mad researcher, enchanted by the beauty of the chaos lurking within the Dungeon. He sought to capture that beauty with his own human hands.
And this—was the unfinished masterpiece to which Daedalus devoted his life.
The artificial labyrinth, Knossos, which stretches deep into the earth.
This was the obsession of the great ancestor Daedalus—a grand ambition inherited by his family for a thousand years, and a curse that bound them. The descendants of his lineage continued to build this subterranean maze, inheriting the mandate of Daedalus, who perished before seeing his work completed, forever chasing what lay beyond the perfection of chaotic beauty.
Barca Perdix, a descendant of this family in the current generation, was no exception. He was born solely to complete the labyrinth. Like his ancestors before him, he pursued the family's singular goal with every fiber of his being. He cared nothing for what might exist beyond it; his only reason for existence was to fulfill his family's great desire, unable to break the shackles of the blood inherited from his great ancestor.
Therefore, his path held no room for emotion or sentiment. For him, life was merely a routine. He knew no pleasure, living as a mere mechanism to complete Knossos. He possessed no heart to feel sorrow or anger. Since birth, he lived a life apart from others, never touching the outside world, driven only by a thousand-year-old obsession.
What moved him was not the ego, but the chain. His life resembled a silent machine, its only metric and guide being that curse-like mission etched into his soul before he even recognized the world around him. To a man like him, emotions were dry data—concepts he knew of but had never experienced or understood. He viewed them as unnecessary components, surplus to the mechanism dedicated to finishing Knossos.
Yet, those emotions he was never supposed to possess now made Barca's body tremble under the weight of an indescribable terror.
".... Good heavens, is this their level? The Loki Familia."
Barca monitored the corridors through the "Eyes" distributed in every corner of the labyrinth—surveillance devices used to track intruders—and panic seized him. At the fork in the road, the first-tier adventurers had split into two groups. The group led by the Brave faced the red-haired creature, Revis, but Barca did not grant them a second of his attention. Instead, he directed his terrified gaze toward the other group, led by the strongest man.
Neither monsters nor traps could stop the man running in the lead. Barca himself had received the divine blessing and reached advanced levels that granted him superhuman strength. For that very reason, he could not believe his eyes as he watched that man defy all logical standards. A man sprinting at the front without slowing for a moment while facing hordes of Level 2-equivalent monsters alone; he truly deserved the title of hero.
Yet, in contrast to his overwhelming presence, Barca felt no warmth from him. He was a man cold as ice, possessing the sharpness of a blade.
".... I have heard the stories, but.... the Sword Saint."
Even Barca, who ignored the outside world, had heard that name repeatedly. He was one of the most powerful forces in Orario, and the greatest obstacle to the goals of the Evilus with whom Barca currently collaborated. Although he watched him through a screen, the pressure the man emitted caused Barca to break into a cold sweat.
At that moment, the sound of rhythmic footsteps echoed: thud, thud.
Barca's hearing, enhanced by his Falna, reacted to the footsteps approaching from the darkness. Despite the speed of the Loki Familia's advance, it was impossible for an enemy to reach this place located in the deepest reaches. Perhaps it was Thanatos or a member of the Evilus. Despite realizing this, he prepared for an unknown encounter due to those inexplicable feelings.
"── Oi, oi, Knossos seems excessively loud today. Did a problem occur, brother?"
"Stop that, Dix. We were simply born from the same woman, and that is all. Never call me your brother again."
The figure emerging from the darkness was neither Thanatos nor an Evilus member. It was the man called Dix. Unlike the frail Barca, he possessed the body of a front-line warrior, with a lightness suggesting bestial prowess. Clad in adventurer gear, he was undoubtedly a combatant. However, the air around him felt deviant, as if his true value only appeared in the shadows. He was the illegal hunter who hated Knossos despite being a descendant of the family like Barca.
Dix Perdix, captain of the Ikelos Familia and a first-tier adventurer, curled his lip into a mocking smile.
"Ah, I was only joking. I also have no desire to be counted alongside a curse-bound doll like you. It disgusts me."
Barca replied coldly, "Then be silent." Dix shot him a look of contempt, then lost interest and let out a dismissive sound.
"So, what is all this noise? I can't even perform my 'work' in peace."
"We allowed the Loki Familia, who were pursuing us, to enter Knossos. .... However, this is fine. Dix, I will use your mechanism."
"Eh? My mechanism... are you serious?!!"
"────"
The thousand-year obsession. Unlike Barca, into whose bone marrow the curse was etched at birth, Dix was bound by it after his consciousness had formed. He hated the irresistible curse that violated his selfhood, and he spat upon everything related to the family, yet he could not escape the chain. While he loathed Knossos—the core of that bond—he, like Barca, was born to fulfill that great desire. Therefore, he had installed a specific mechanism in Knossos.
It was a self-destruct mechanism for the labyrinth. To Dix, it was merely a form of petty revenge, and Barca, despite allowing its existence, never intended to use it. But the current situation demanded its exploitation. By destroying specific pillars, he could cause entire levels to collapse. If a level were destroyed, the Loki Familia members there would certainly not survive.
"──── K-kkk. K-hah hah hah!! Oi, oi, are you serious? Will you destroy Knossos?! And with your own hands, no less?!"
"──── Silence, Dix."
Barca himself did not wish to destroy Knossos, even a small part of it. Destroying a level, even partially, would require immense time and effort to repair. Despite knowing its necessity, completing Knossos during Barca's lifetime would become a hopeless dream. This was the only regret his small self carried.
However, if left unchecked, the Sword Saint would pierce through everything. Even if he tried to close the Orichalcum doors, that man would wedge his massive sword in before the door shut completely and force it open.
"Dix, give me your hand. The collapse of one corner won't annihilate them all. You go and kill those who were 'separated.' .... Ah, leave the Sword Saint alone. There is a divine revelation that says 'no matter what you do, you cannot win against him'."
Barca issued instructions to Dix, who laughed insolently. Despite Barca's looks of resentment and hostility, Dix didn't care and shrugged.
".... Fine, whatever. The Loki Familia are the last people I want to involve myself with, but.... we have the home-field advantage here. Ah, I'll take the new spear."
Dix licked his lips as he received the cursed spear. While Dix smiled savagely, Barca stood before the monitor showing the corridors of Knossos, specifically the areas where the Brave and the Sword Saint were located. Considering the "collapse," he activated the mechanism.
"──── The hunt for the Loki Familia has begun."
●○●○●
Deep crimson blood flowed from the wounds carved into Finn's small body, soaking the ground with an audible sound. The members of the Familia stood stunned as they watched that small back turn red in moments. A surprise attack from the red-haired creature, Revis. Finn's body collapsed.
".... C-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaptaiiiiin!!"
Finn hit the stone floor and remained still, unable to move. Raul screamed at the top of his lungs witnessing the sight. Seeing the Brave, who always encouraged the Loki Familia, fall, the members' morale crumbled. It was a despair exceeding even the moment Al fell to his knees on the 59th floor.
No one could replace Finn, who served as the Familia's military and psychological pillar. Neither Riveria, Gareth, nor even Ais could take his place. The only one with the charisma to fill that void, the Sword Saint, was not present.
Even Bete's mind stopped working at the sight of the Brave's fall. As for the Kali sisters, Argana froze seeing the man stained red, as did Bache seeing her sister in that state.
Finn himself, having received the blow, realized the lethality of his situation before anyone else through the cursed poison spreading in his body and the feeling of his internal organs tearing. Yet, amidst his fading consciousness, he recognized the approach of death's specter. Strength left his body entirely; he couldn't move a single finger. His vision darkened. With every breath, blood rose from his throat.
Death. That was what Finn now faced. Before Revis could act on her killing intent and deliver the finishing blow, Finn decided they should leave him and save themselves──.
────── However, before any of that could happen, the sound of the Saint's song echoed through the air.
[Three hundred and sixty-five melodies, the calendar of healing delivers all existence.]
[Let the curse flee to the far reaches, toward the essence of light. In the name of the holy thought.]
── Dia Fratel
Airmid Teassanare's decision—the city's finest healer—was faster than all the veteran first-tier adventurers. Her movement was swifter than the creature Revis, and her face showed no trace of agitation. Her casting speed was extraordinary.
A holy hymn woven with a speed that made one imagine she was casting two different spells simultaneously. A casting speed surpassing the city's greatest mage, Riveria Ljos Alf, or even the Spirit clones ──── it even exceeded the casting speed of the former strongest mage Silence or the Sword Saint, the strongest magic warrior; a speed that left even the charging Revis behind.
Light particles flew with the melody like fireflies, creating a dreamlike scene. Pure white light particles swirled around the chanter, then flooded the wounded Finn. A pure white magic circle, free of any defilement, formed in multiple layers, gently embracing Finn's body as it emitted a faint glow.
It was the pinnacle of healing magic—cleansing every poison in this world and healing every wound. Wounds that were not supposed to close and poisons that defied cure vanished in moments, as if time were reversing. The Familia members, and even Revis, were stunned by the miraculous sight.
Healing wounds, restoring energy, removing abnormal status effects and curses; it was "Total Healing" magic that literally cured everything without exaggeration. A pure white magic circle formed even though she had not activated development skills yet. It was a departure from the laws of the Falna, just like the third magic of the Era's Catastrophe or the forbidden arts of the Sage. The effect of Total Healing magic, which even Al Cranel had not reached, surpassed the magic of that Sage who achieved immortality in the kingdom of magic, despite her being only Level 2.
"─────?!"
Revis's eyes widened as she saw Finn's body heal as if time had rewound. She realized the weak girl she hadn't considered was her natural enemy, but she could not move toward Airmid.
"Ruaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Bete regained his senses first. With claws and fangs, he turned the monsters in his path to ash in an instant, closing in on Revis. He was followed by the Kali sisters, who regained their balance.
"── Damn it, Level 6?"
Revis retreated before the violent attacks of three Level 6 combatants, but in her hand, the old death poison "Hero Slayer" still pulsed. However, in this place ────.
There stood the Saint who kept the "Strongest" alive, and the only one who made Al Cranel "surrender."
"Rest easy. As long as I am here, I will not let anyone die."
●○●○●
Ais struggled out of the lower corridor that had suddenly collapsed, trying to catch her breath. Amidst the confusion that had struck the members, she regained her composure and began running to catch up with her comrades. She stepped onto the stone floor and turned toward where she had been moments ago; the walls and ceiling had caved in.
(I hope everyone is alright...)
Thanks to the wind magic she activated at the last second, Ais managed to survive, but she couldn't confirm the safety of the other members. The members near Al should be fine, but since she didn't know the extent of the collapse, her heart was full of anxiety. However, she had no time to stand idle. While she stood there, the Evilus might begin their move.
(I'm worried about Al and the others... but what I must do now is face the enemy!!)
An artificial labyrinth rivaling the Dungeon in scale and danger. A structure that disoriented one's sense of direction, and constant monster attacks. If she continued to stay on the defensive, she would eventually be trapped and lose any escape route. Therefore, she had no choice but to strike at the enemy's heart. She had to find the central figures of the Evilus who possessed the means to open and close the Orichalcum doors distributed throughout the entrances and the maze, and capture them at any cost.
".... Stairs!"
Ten minutes after being separated from the rest, Ais discovered the fourth staircase leading down and ran toward it. A strange scent and total darkness dominated the area. Her keen senses as a first-tier adventurer made her feel something ahead. With every step she descended, the smell grew stronger. Proportionally, her heart rate accelerated. Amidst the feeling that the entire labyrinth was a living being, she finally found that room.
Deep within the room, dominated by a darkness lacking even magic stone lamps, a faint light appeared.
(What is this feeling...?)
She couldn't tear her eyes away from that light. A shiver ran down her spine. Her heart beat like war drums, and her instincts sounded alarm bells. The "Spirit" blood flowing in her body screamed a warning. Nevertheless, her feet continued forward. She walked slowly and cautiously without making a sound. As she drew closer, that strange presence grew stronger.
Thanks to her sight enhanced by the Falna, the total darkness posed no problem. The monsters she occasionally encountered in the upper levels had vanished, replaced by a dark corridor stretching to the end. Finally, she reached that room.
It was a wide gap. In the center of the circular room were flasks resembling crystals emitting a faint phosphorescent light. The walls and floor were covered in metal pipes, and there were massive water tanks containing monsters with electrodes implanted in them, submerged in chemical solutions; a strange room with a scientific atmosphere. The strange light from the flask in the center of the room illuminated Ais's vision.
This place, resembling a lab or workshop, contained eighteen empty flasks, with only a green solution remaining.
"This is...."
Vessels large enough to hold a full person. And what had been inside was already gone. But Ais's blood began to boil.
───── Spirit Presence.
From the remains of the green liquid in the flasks, Ais felt the same residual magic energy of the corrupted Spirits she had faced on the 24th and 59th floors. She became certain that the embryos of those jewels had been here.
(This place truly....)
The number of shattered flasks should match the number of embryos. This meant that eighteen bodies of those Spirits that had wreaked havoc before the Loki Familia elite on the 59th floor had been manufactured here. Since one was born on the 24th floor and four on the 59th—five bodies in total—this meant thirteen remained. Perhaps that included the one they discovered in the town of Rivira, but in either case, more than ten bodies must have been made.
She caught her breath at the horror of this military power. But at the same time, she felt convinced. If there were many monsters of that strength, it wasn't strange to say they could destroy Orario. And if this was the headquarters where those monsters were made, everything must end here.
While she thought of this and looked around, a cold shiver ran through her entire body.
"── Wah, you truly came, 'Sword Princess'."
Suddenly, a voice echoed that could not be distinguished as male or female. Ais turned sharply toward the voice coming from behind her.
"Who are you.....?!"
"It is foolish to come yourself, attracted by this presence."
A purple robe and a terrifying mask. There stood the creature Finn had classified as a threat exceeding Revis, and who had opened the gate of Knossos moments ago. With the appearance of the creature Ein, Ais's tension rose to its absolute limit.
Thick black magic energy flowed, so dense it almost obscured the body's features. Ais caught her breath at the intensity of that energy. Above all, the presence was overwhelming. It wasn't just about magic energy. There was a deep-seated malice that inspired awe just by standing there.
"─── This is merely an outlet for my rage."
Ein muttered as if mocking herself, in a voice indistinguishable as young or old, male or female, perhaps due to a magic item. Ais felt an indescribable strangeness she had never felt before.
"Prepare yourself. Ideally, you will die a shameful death."
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Al: "Hah, how boring."
Barca: "Ah, this is useless. Activating the self-destruct switch!!"
Revis: "I'm still fighting here, you know?!"
From the perspective of the original story, isn't it strange that Airmid is only Level 2?
"Extra Power Compared to the Original Work"
[Loki Familia Side]: • Madman at Level 8. • Kali sisters (Level 6, two). • Back-up support from dozens of Amazons at Level 3 and 4. • Airmid. • Ais and Bete (in awakened states).
[Knossos Side]: • Revis (Enhanced). • Ein (Enhanced).
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[100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
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