◈ Episode 129. Teppern Labyrinth (2)[Teppern Labyrinth][Recommended Level: Lv.500~?][Collapse Rate: 0%]
The [Teppern Labyrinth] rift had been generated by the regular update.
Lee Hoyeol, the Dark Spirit, the endlessly deep darkness, and now Teppern Labyrinth.
The interest that had continued for nearly a week had finally reached its peak.
AAU had been watching the situation closely.
Park Minjae, the head of the Korean branch, widened his eyes.
“Does this search volume make any sense, Sugyeom?”
The traffic had quite literally shot through the roof. It was the number of searches for the keyword “Arcana labyrinth.”
Clack-clack—
Yoon Sugyeom, contributing to that search volume as he typed away at his keyboard, replied.
“Our Hoyeol is the only one who received the quest, but somehow everyone seems to be eyeing it. It’s not exactly an opportunity that comes around often.”
Seong Hyeonjun, who had been watching the mood between his two superiors, smoothly joined the conversation.
“It is one of the Ten Great Mysteries of the Arcana Continent, after all.”
Back when Arcana was nothing more than a game.
As former developers, there was no way they wouldn’t know about the Ten Great Mysteries.
They were such enormous pieces of lore bait that it would have been strange for any Arcana developer not to know them.
“This isn’t people making a fuss over nothing. It’s a truly world-class quest.”
That was right.
Each and every one of the Ten Great Mysteries was significant enough to affect not just the Arcana Continent, but the entire world.
So they had assumed it wasn’t content that would be revealed at the current stage, but…….
Park Minjae forced his eyes into a sharp gaze.
“It must mean Lee Hoyeol has reached that level.”
“That’s right. His estimated level is at least 900, after all.”
“Wait, then shouldn’t other players not interfere?”
Were they not afraid?
Their lives were on the line.
Seong Hyeonjun nodded.
“Exactly. How could they possibly compete with Lord Hoyeol?”
“……
What? Lord Hoyeol?”
“And this is coming from the guy who told me not to go around saying ‘Homen, homen’?”
Pretending not to hear, Seong Hyeonjun added.
“Still, it’s a labyrinth, so I guess they’re pinning their hopes on that.”
“That’s true. A labyrinth isn’t like an ordinary hunting ground.”
“What, they think they can clear it as long as they know the strategy?”
There were many ways to clear a labyrinth in Arcana.
For instance, two opposite extremes.
You could dismantle and overcome every trap, clearing the labyrinth without so much as a scratch.
Or you could trigger every trap, beat down every monster that came pouring out, and make your way through that way.
“If it really seems impossible, you can just sit still.”
There was even the method of stopping in place and waiting.
Even back when Arcana was only a game, experience points had been precious.
In other words, there had been a method where you gave up on clearing it yourself and waited until another player conquered the labyrinth, just to at least get something out of it.
“Hm, so there were complicated calculations like that?”
Players and their way of thinking, honestly.
For a moment, Park Minjae felt as though he had worried for nothing.
As he clicked his tongue, Yoon Sugyeom chimed in.
“Besides, the recommended level is 500. It’s high compared to the average player, sure……. But the rifts we’ve seen so far have been so vicious.”
“And above all, there’s a high chance those annoying demons won’t be there!”
“……
Is that so?”
Sugyeom and Seong Hyeonjun seemed to be treating it as nothing serious.
However.
‘Of all things, why did it have to be Teppern, when we hadn’t even begun development on it?’
Was it because age had only made him more prone to needless worry?
There was one piece of information that particularly bothered Park Minjae.
It was the recommended level of [Teppern Labyrinth].
“Hey, Sugyeom.”
“Yes? Go ahead, Branch Manager.”
“That……. Labyrinths originally had recommended levels like that, right?”
“The question mark? They were always like that.”
As mentioned, labyrinths had various methods of攻略.
Depending on your choices, the difficulty of clearing them could swing wildly.
Even in the past, the system had displayed the recommended level with a question mark.
Yes, it was nothing more than a simple system notation…….
‘But this isn’t just any labyrinth. It’s one of the Ten Great Mysteries.’
Even they, the former developers.
Could not remember its detailed settings.
Content from a far, distant future.
Park Minjae had no choice but to worry.
[Recommended Level: Lv.500~?]
Just how high did that question mark go?
It wasn’t that he doubted Lee Hoyeol’s abilities, but.
‘Am I really allowed to just sit back and watch?’
While Park Minjae was lost in his own worries.
Seong Hyeonjun’s excited voice pierced his eardrums.
“……
Huh? Wait a second. It looks like the talks between Lord Hoyeol and the Explorers’ League ended well. They say the Explorers’ League has started moving! But it’s not just ordinary league explorers—Fabian himself has stepped forward?!”……
What did he say, Fabian?!
That Fabian was moving?
Was he talking about the Fabian Delong he knew?
Park Minjae flinched and asked back.
“The legendary explorer and leader of the Explorers’ League, Fabian Delong?”
“Yes! That Fabian!”
“……
This is insane.”
Fabian Delong!
Also known as the legendary explorer.
Including the Ten Great Mysteries.
He was the man closest to the hidden secrets of the Arcana Continent.
That was why, just like the Magic Tower.
For systemic reasons.
He had been bound to the position of Explorers’ League leader.
And that Fabian had begun to move!
For the sake of clearing Teppern Labyrinth together with Lee Hoyeol, no less.
Park Minjae let out a hollow laugh.
“So it really was just needless worrying, huh?”...
The three league explorers, including League Leader Fabian.
The only ones who could truly recognize their real worth were, naturally, explorer players who belonged to the same league.──────Title: A Broadcast as Tenacious as a Roach! Teppern Labyrinth Has Appeared!──────Yusra Kingdom.
In front of the Explorers’ League headquarters.
“Can you see clearly?”
Park Hwigang’s camera captured Fabian and the other explorers.
Before the viewers could even react, Park Hwigang’s excited voice continued.
“To think League Leader Fabian is moving! Even after joining the Explorers’ League, this is the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing. And not just the League Leader—Aron and Rombus are here too!”
Aron and Rombus.
Excluding Fabian, who had not been active until now.
They were the two explorers who had recorded the highest achievements in the Explorers’ League.
-What?? Are they impressive people???
-Can’t you tell just by looking? Of course they’re impressive
-For starters, their gear already looks no joke lol
-For real, what is that? Is that really explorer gear? My chest is swelling
They hadn’t even entered Teppern Labyrinth yet.
But the chat was already buzzing.
Reading the room, Park Hwigang summed it up in one line.
“In short, they’re the elite of the elite!”
The Explorers’ League’s finest forces had stepped forward to clear the [Teppern Labyrinth] rift!
That was a great shock even to the players who had somewhat expected the situation.
“This is crazy. Fabian was a character who could actually move?”
“The guy wouldn’t even meet us face-to-face, but now he’s coming out like that?”
“No. Fabian aside……. Those two!”
Even to rankers, Fabian was an unknown existence.
Naturally, attention turned toward the other two.
Toward Aron and Rombus.
“Aren’t both of them notorious for how expensive they are?”
They were executives of the Explorers’ League, and in terms of performance, each ranked among the very top.
Yes, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t known how high their price was.
“Forget their price. Those two have some seriously rotten attitudes.”
The one clicking his tongue was Gaiver, the guild master of Bohemian, ranked fifth among guilds.
In the aftermath of the Holy Land Muon incident, their guild ranking had fallen by one place.
Bohemian’s rank had been swapped with Inazuma’s.
Even so, Gaiver considered that experience precious.
More important than ranking was knowing one’s place.
Thanks to that lesson, he was able to view the situation calmly.
“You all remember, right? Back when we were competing with Second Sun over dungeon clears. We and Second Sun both took a loss and hired those two.”
“You still remember that? That was before the Cataclysm.”
“How could I forget?”
The humiliation of that day!
Aron and Rombus had pride as immense as their abilities.
Just as Bohemian and Second Sun had been competing with each other.
The two explorers had also ended up competing against each other.
Thanks to that, the two guilds had been dragged around between the two explorers.
“I realized it that day. If I ever asked the Explorers’ League for help again, I wouldn’t be a human being—I’d be a son of a bitch. It’s a relief that it happened before the Cataclysm. If it had been after…….”
How many guild members from both sides had died and been forcibly logged out because of the pride contest between those two explorers? Gaiver knew that fact.
So while he shuddered, he couldn’t help but worry.
“It’s good that they stepped up voluntarily. Even declaring they’d work for free.”……
Lee Hoyeol, would he really be all right?
As mentioned.
When it came to exploration, the madness of explorers surpassed imagination.
On top of that, explorers were quick-witted.
In places like dungeons or labyrinths.
It meant that when they were in a position of power, they would wield that authority however they pleased.
‘Can he really control three troublesome people like that?’
Whatever Hoyeol might think.
Shake, shake.
Gaiver shook his head.
“I’d refuse even if someone offered them to me.”
It was obvious he’d be shoved around by the explorers and fail to even break even.
“……
Gaiver, are you serious?”
“Huh? Of course I’m serious.”
“We’d understand if you honestly said you were jealous, Master.”
“What? No, that’s not it…….”
“It’s your arm that got hurt, but you’re saying things you don’t mean as if your head was injured.”
“No, wait a second. That’s harsh, isn’t it?”
But Gaiver’s useless explanation did not last long.
“!”
Soon, Hoyeol and the three explorers met in front of the [Teppern Labyrinth] rift.
Their first meeting was broadcast to the world through the Nettubers’ airwaves.
Toward Hoyeol.
Aron and Rombus bowed their heads politely.
And even League Leader Fabian did the same.
“……
Is this for real?”
That sight once again gave Gaiver an opportunity to know his place.
At the same time, it gave courage to the players who had been hesitating in front of the [Teppern Labyrinth] rift.
“Right. If it’s really too rough, let’s just stay still.”
“Exactly. Even if we can’t clear it, Lee Hoyeol will clear it for us.”
“Ahem. What do you mean, Lee Hoyeol? Watch your manners. It’s Lord Hoyeol.”
Murmur, murmur—
Right before the [Teppern Labyrinth] rift.
The countless crowds, and the interest pouring out from them.
Was it because this was his first exploration in a while?
Or because the attention was excessive?
Fabian lightly loosened his heavy shoulders.
‘I feel it anew, but adventurers really do live in an exhausting world.’
A world without freedom—he detested it.
Then he shifted his gaze.
Toward Hoyeol.
The countless aliases and achievements that trailed behind him.
Just what kind of man was he?
Apart from his surprise, Fabian had been waiting for this very day.
Indeed, the wait had not been wasted at all.
He looked as though he alone lived in another world.
For one, just look at his attire.
It was neither from the Arcana Continent nor the clothing of adventurers.
It was hard to believe he was someone about to enter a labyrinth. His attire brimmed with formality and dignity.
Even more surprising was his attitude.
“We exchanged enough regards through letters, so let us omit them.”
That he treated Fabian, the leader of the Explorers’ League, casually?
Fabian could fully understand that.
Strictly speaking, in Yusra Kingdom, Hoyeol held a status comparable to King Hakuna himself.
Since the Explorers’ League had settled in Yusra, that attitude was understandable.
‘No, considering the consideration the Explorers’ League receives in Yusra Kingdom……. Even if he looked down on me more than this, I would have to accept it generously.’
So what surprised Fabian was not his trivial manner of speech.
‘……
Impressive.’
His gaze and posture showed not the slightest sense of pressure.
Fabian once again observed the atmosphere around them.
The moment Hoyeol appeared.
The attention and gazes of the crowd had all focused on him.
It was a bit embarrassing to say with his own mouth, but…….
It was several times more burdensome than the attention he, the greatest explorer in Arcana, had received.
‘They called those cameras, didn’t they?’
And those small machines, cameras, were supposedly conveying the situation here to everyone in the world in real time.
In other words, the entire world was watching Hoyeol.
‘Impressive isn’t enough to describe him.’
Even amid such immense attention, he did not waver in the slightest.
That was probably why Fabian felt as though Hoyeol lived alone in a different world.
Fabian let out a hollow laugh. ‘This makes all my thorough preparations seem pointless.’ He was supposed to be the labyrinth expert.
To think that, instead, he was feeling relieved to be with Hoyeol.
This wouldn’t do.
Just as Fabian was pulling himself together.
“We enter.”
“……!”
Soon, as if answering that appraisal, Hoyeol’s voice rang out.
Nod—they exchanged glances.
The Alliance explorers, including Fabian, began to move.
Fabian opened his mouth solemnly.
“So that you will not regret your decision, I will do everything in my power.”*Thank goodness.
Looks like we aren’t the only ones entering the labyrinth.
As expected, modern society is all about helping one another. ‘We’re not hunting a Demon King or anything, but going in with just four people would be a little iffy.’ The Demon King’s Castle and the labyrinth.
The recommended level for the Demon King’s Castle rift was a full 300 levels higher.
But for me, [Tetpern Labyrinth] was a far more burdensome rift……. Whether [Natural Enemy Relationship] activated or not mattered even more than that. ‘Still, this is reassuring.’ In that sense, the Explorer Alliance was reliable.
They said they needed to be fully prepared.
Did that mean they hadn’t skimmed over my anxious letter?
For starters, the equipment they were wearing was no joke. Even Grandfell’s discerning eye could find no fault with it.
That meant the level of their equipment was at least [Masterpiece] grade.
Of course, even if I had been worried.
I couldn’t have shown it now.
Still, thanks to that, I was able to speak even more confidently.
“We enter.”[Tetpern Labyrinth][Recommended Level: Lv.500~?][Collapse Rate: 0.1%]
The moment we set foot inside.
The scenery changed in an instant.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that [Tetpern Rift] had formed in the middle of an empty field.
A rift was a space of [『Oddity』], half reality and half the Arcana Continent mixed together. ‘Imagine if it had formed in a transfer station.’ A hellish subway transfer station mixed into an already complicated labyrinth?
Just imagining it was terrifying. Seriously.
But…….
It seemed I had been far too quick to feel relieved.
My vision gradually brightened.
The scenery of Tetpern Labyrinth revealed itself.
At the same time, messages appeared, accompanied by an eerie voice.[O foolish one who has entered Tetpern Labyrinth.][Riches and glory do not exist here.][Leave this place at once.]
“……
A voice!”
“Mr. Fabian, did you hear that?”
“I did. This isn’t easy from the start.”
Judging by their reactions, it didn’t seem like this was a common production in labyrinths either.
Fabian, Aaron, and Rhombus flinched for a moment.
Then the final message rang out.[If you do not wish to die.]……
Gulp!
I could hear Fabian and the others swallowing from here.
A warning from the very start.
The anxiety I had tried so hard to suppress welled up again.
However, I showed none of it.
Setting aside my personality, I still had something to rely on.
In my usual voice, I said,
“Haiel.”
Haiel appeared in midair.
Beside Haiel wavered a black form—the spirit of darkness.
It looked at me and whispered.
“O infinitely deep darkness. I have been awaiting your call.”……
Awaiting or whatever, that was all well and good.
“Infinitely deep darkness……!!”
There were people listening.
Couldn’t it do something about that title, at least in the labyrinth?
That plea echoed in my heart for only a moment.
Soon, my vision flickered.[Ten Great Mysteries Quest: Tetpern’s Labyrinth]
A new quest objective appeared.