Seol shifted his gaze to the being hanging from his arm. Of course, that didn't mean he could see anything.
"Agony…?"
【Could it be… That I shouldn't be here?】
"…"
- It's as if you were singing in an elevator and ran into a resident.
- You should naturally move on to the medley!
- Fufufu… If I wanted to, I could destroy the… Ah, mom! I told you to knock before coming in! The world…? I didn't say anything like that. I'm sure you've misheard!
After entering the Pitch Black Labyrinth, Seol had prepared himself to struggle alone. But unexpectedly, he discovered that Agony could be with him.
【Uh… Should Agony look for an exit?】
"There's no need…"【Can I stay?】
"You can."
Agony wasn't a summon. And although it was alive, it was weird to place it in the same category as other living beings.
After all, it was a demonic spirit—it was a soul and a weapon.
That's why it could still freely roam even though it had stepped into the Pitch Black Labyrinth.
Seol's heart sank.
It wasn't from fear or surprise but from the sensation he could feel in his hand that gave him a sense of relief that he was with someone.
Swish… Swish…
He petted Agony and asked.
"Then, could you help me from now on? I can't see my friends for a while."
Thud, thud!
He could hear the sound of Agony knocking on its chest.
【Alright! Agony must help the weak, after all!】
"Okay…"
- Aren't you glad? Weakling?
- As expected, children cannot lie.
- Agony is really nice! Agony helps the weak.
- Info: Snowman can deal with transferees by himself as easily as if he were planting rice seedlings with a single flick of his finger.
- Even two crops are possible.
- The problem is that he might be reverse-seeded here, hahaha.
Although the word 'weak' bothered him a lot, since it wasn't exactly wrong, he let it be.
[The conditions for Hidden Adventure 'Adaptation' have been met.]
[Sudden Adventure 'Adaptation' is now active.]
[This Adventure is very dangerous.]
…
Such messages popped up in the message window, but unfortunately, Seol couldn’t see any of them.
The message window had been designed with a subtle glow to make it distinguishable, but nothing could be seen as darkness swallowed his surroundings.
Seol decided to first gauge the surrounding terrain. From what he remembered, this place wasn't a friendly one. Also, if he felt safe due to thinking it was indoors, he might get stabbed in the back.
'The Labyrinth of Penance and the Underground Garden were the same.'
The sky was still visible even though he had gone underground. Not only that, but the scene arbitrarily changed.
The Pitch Black Labyrinth shared similarities with them.
'First, the floor…'
The floor's texture was uneven.
'This place hasn't changed.'
Even when he had entered the Pitch Black Labyrinth three times before, he remembered hearing how its floor had a certain texture.
'It's Stone Mountain.'
The starting terrain was Stone Mountain.
It was a terrain that had several small lakes surrounded by forests.
'I did bring drinking water, but… since I don't know when I'll be able to escape, I should go down to the forest.'
The food he had wasn't enough to last him a thousand years, so going down to the forest, where hunting was easier, was wiser from a long-term perspective.
'Anyway… did everyone head to different places?'
He hadn't seen where the last two people—the masked individuals—headed. But he thought he wouldn't meet them.
And just like what happened in the Labyrinth of Penance. He would eventually meet them once he neared the end of the labyrinth.
'Well… I have no intention of meeting them.'
While Seol was quietly standing and thinking, Agony grabbed his sleeve and pulled him.
【What should we do now?】
"Shh… There might be enemies around, Agony. We must talk quietly."
【Like this?】
Agony’s voice still remained quite loud even after being lowered considerably.
"Even quieter."
【Ugh… Like this?】
Agony's words echoed in his head.
It had done this several times before but never consciously.
- Good. But, how did you do it?
Seol was already used to talking with his summons, so he answered quickly.
【Hmm… Agony will tell you! I just wanted to talk more quietly, and it happened!】
- Anyway…
Seol looked around.
Finally, he began his exploration.
Something was exuding a heavy presence nearby.
'It's a rock. But how big is it?'
Seol checked the width of the rock by touching it. The rock was so large that many people had to spread their arms to cover its width.
Seol meticulously checked the outskirts, too.
He sensed that he was quite high up, even for the Stone Mountain.
Oof…
Since he had already set sail, he had no plans to look around the port.
Seol sat down on the ground and crossed his legs.
Although his position wasn't particularly comfortable, according to what he heard from Hye Myeong, there was no better position when you needed concentration.
He was in an unknown world.
Where was he? Where was he standing?
Seol had an ability suitable for situations like this.
[Intermediate Insight activates.]
[The surrounding terrain feels blurry.]
[A strong wind is blowing.]
[Intermediate Insight activates.]
…
He couldn't confirm the messages, but it felt like the letters were getting stuck in his mind.
Important information, like how the surrounding rocks were rising and whether there were cliffs, was conveyed to Seol.
【What do we have to do here?】
- Get used…
The gates set in the Pitch Black Labyrinth weren't just tests one needed to pass to get rewards.
'It's more like training.'
That was one of the reasons he decided to take a detour when the Pitch Black Labyrinth appeared.
Five doors… and the hidden patterns that were drawn on them.
For convenience, they were also called sub-attributes.
The Door of Dreams had the pattern of magic, and the Door of Blood had the pattern of martial arts. Unfortunately for Seol, there was no space in the Pitch Black Labyrinth where he could practice summoning arts.
Therefore, he couldn't help but choose his original attribute, Shadows.
'This place’s sub-attribute is…'
Weapon Arts.
The Shadow Door had Weapon Arts as its sub-attribute.
'If we only consider the attribute, that woman Lucia should have come here.'
However, she hadn't paid attention to his advice of choosing the door more carefully.
Regardless, it was awkward for a summoner to choose Weapon Arts. However, Seol was one of the few summoners who didn't use an exclusive weapon.
He didn't use any weapons summoners would typically use, like spellbooks, staves, or crystal orbs.
'Agony can't change into those in the first place.'
Agony was a tool whose nature changed when its form changed.
At first, it was a lantern. But now, it had changed from that form and wandered the world.
Its form strictly followed the Shadow's nature. When fused with Jamad, it became a gauntlet. When fused with Karen or Karuna, it became a sword.
The problem was that the weapon's form arbitrarily changed when Seol, its owner, used it.
'There really are a lot of things that need fixing…'
He could tell how messed up it had gotten.
Having a flexible form could be an advantage, but it was the same as saying there was no weapon type it was great at.
At this point, it was like a pearl necklace on a pig's neck.
Seol planned to correct things here, no matter how long it took him.
All the Exceptional Skills that were created after Night Crow belonged to his Shadows. Karuna's Asura and Karen's Complete Combustion were also like that.
He had nothing of his own.
Abnormal growth eventually led to stagnation.
Seol slumped.
Oof…
'Where should I start?'
Seol leaned against the rock to organize his plans—until he sensed someone's presence.
BOOM…
BOOM…
Seol hid behind the rock and intentionally erased his presence.
GRR…
He could hear the sound of a beast and its stench nearing the rock.
It was approaching him extraordinarily quickly.
'It's strong!'
It would have been an easy opponent if Jamad were here. But now, he needed to be as careful as possible.
BOOM…
BOOM…
The beast disappeared.
As the bipedal beast disappeared, Seol sighed.
"Oof…"
How weak was he?
Agony waved its arm and said.
【It's okay.】
"…"
【Agony also hid.】
* * *
About a week after Seol arrived at this place, he could finally descend into the forest.
Even in a place without light, there was day and night.
However, the way to distinguish them wasn't based on the sun and moon.
GRR…
BOOM…
BOOM…
He decided to call the bipedal beasts wandering the forest night beasts, which was also how he called them in the past.
'It's been a while…'
Night beasts only appeared at night. No—rather, night existed because the night beasts appeared.
Their sizes varied greatly; some beasts were as big as small hills, while others were much smaller than humans.
'Could I defeat them?'
The powers Seol could use now were Strength of the Mind he obtained in Watala's ruins, and Night Crow, which he couldn't fully use due to not having his summons. He couldn’t properly transform.
'How am I still alive?'
It might be a miracle that he was still alive.
The fortunate thing was that Seol knew how to pass through the first gate. Or, more precisely, how to go back and forth through the second one.
'Hunt night beasts and collect Darkness.'
The problem was that he didn't know how much more he needed to gather.
'No. The compass said the piece could be felt… So I guess I'll be able to do that too.'
In fact, checking how much more Darkness he needed to collect was a futile task.
After all, the purpose of coming all the way here wasn't to get the rewards of the Pitch Black Labyrinth but to become stronger.
That's why he didn’t plan on leaving this place until he was satisfied.
As night fell, Seol felt night beasts gathering in the forest.
He was worried if he could fight without being able to see. But there was an unexpected harvest. The Strength of the Mind he obtained in Watala's Ruins had proven to be incredibly effective.
Strength of the Mind allowed him to see through the essence of the night beasts. It accurately showed him their locations and actions as if they were coated with a fluorescent substance.
The problem was.
Ugh…
The very essence of the night beasts… They were souls trapped inside black shells.
Those were the souls of those who had failed.
He wasn't 100% sure if they were the souls of those who had died inside the Labyrinth.
They had no weapons, and their attire was far from what they would wear for combat.
The night beasts, who resembled humans, had eyes with no pupils. They looked like walking corpses.
They didn't seem to have any rationality left.
Oof…
Oof…
'I can do it.'
He was fighting for the first time in a while without relying on Night Crow.
Paf—!
Seol confidently advanced.
GRR…
The night beast reflexively turned its head.
Swoosh—!
He swung his sword from above.
But.
CLANG—!
"What the…"
Although he targeted the night beast with the most manageable size and soul, he couldn't cut even its wrist bone.
Crack…
"Ugh…"
The night beast stretched out its other arm and grabbed Seol's shoulder. That single attack made him dizzy.
Paf—!
Seol fiercely kicked the night beast, but instead of pushing it back, he was pushed back due to the recoil.
"Oof… Oof…"
- He had it easy all this time. It seems he isn't used to the struggle, hahaha.
- He enjoyed taking the bus ride.
- Hahaha, all others grow by going through things like this.
Although Seol could only see darkness, the viewers seemed to see the situation clearly.
Paf—!
Since it wasn't the arm he used to swing the sword that got damaged, he left Blood of Origin to recover it and charged again.
'I must aim for its neck!'
Thankfully, the beast wasn't fast. It was just incredibly sturdy.
Crack…
Seol covered his hand with the energy of the Night Crow.
And soon, it changed to resemble the skin of the night beast in front of him.
Seol plunged deep into the Night Crow's embrace and swung his sword to cut the night beast's armpit.
CLANG—!
'This works!'
The night beast's arm was unnaturally lifted.
Although it was the perfect opportunity to strike its neck, the timing wasn't right.
Whir—!
Seol fiercely spun and swung his sword horizontally.
The night beast's opposite hand covered its neck to block Agony.
'I'll cut him!'
Swoosh—!
With a sharp sensation, he slashed its wrist, and then the sword followed through.
At the same time, the beast’s hand and head floated upward.
PAF—!
"Cough…"
Seol flew backward and crashed into a tree.
He hit it so bad that he couldn't even move his body.
BOOM…
The night beast collapsed.
[You have collected Darkness.]
[You have accumulated a bit of Darkness.]
[The Darkness' grace has descended.]
[Unexpected talent! You have awakened Intermediate Swordsmanship.]
[You can understand sword movements more proficiently.]
…
Even though positive messages were appearing, Seol didn't move his head.
He won the fight, but a single mistake would have caused his death.
'What am I doing…?'
Was he acting as if he were someone with such poor skills?
It was as if the labyrinth was proving that the movements and the strength displayed by the Night Crow weren't his own, and the result of the fight was terrible.
"Ugh…"
It seemed it would require some time to recover his body with Blood of Origin.
Before he knew it, Agony placed its hand on Seol's head.
【It's okay.】
"…"
【It's your first time.】
Upon hearing Agony's words, Seol lay down more and endured the pain.
For the first time in a while, he recalled the first time he was transferred to Pandea.
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