Chapter 40: Blackbite Rat Labyrinth
Vincent silently observed the woman in the clown-faced mask and her companions. Aside from the man with the half-smiling joker mask, who had the strength of a Peak Tier 1, the others were only Tier 1, with 3-star and 4-star rankings.
He had already made up his mind, but before he could voice his decision, the man in the joker mask stepped forward.
“Ah, sorry for approaching you so suddenly. We’re actually short of one person. One of our party members couldn’t make it, so we won’t be able to enter without the minimum of five.”
“Oh, and I apologize if you already have a party. This young lady here was just eager to have you join ours,” he said, patting the woman in the clown mask on the head.
She didn’t protest, her gaze fixed on Vincent. She had witnessed his earlier encounter—how he defeated the man with just a snort. That convinced her he was stronger than them, so she decided to recruit him.
Vincent, on the other hand, was taken aback.
There’s a party requirement to enter a labyrinth? He mused. The bartender hadn’t mentioned that.
His plan was to investigate the labyrinth on his own, but now it seemed he needed to be part of a group to enter. With no other option and the opportunity in front of him, he tossed aside his initial refusal.
He figured he might as well accept the invitation and observe their talents. His farming might slowed down, but he had nothing to lose.
“How about it?” the man in the half-smiling joker mask asked.
Vincent nodded, smiling behind his own mask.
“Sure.”
The woman in the clown mask reacted first.
“Nice! I’m Clauny!”
She introduced herself, shaking his hand forcefully.
The joker-masked man laughed, pulling her back.
“You’re getting too close, Clauny. By the way, you can call me Jokyr.”
Vincent shook his hand, introducing himself as ‘Shroud’. It was clear they were using aliases. Well, anyone would do in their case. After all, this world was a survival of the fittest.
A little conflict could start a war.
The other two companions introduced themselves as well—Swordy and Rossy, a man and woman whose masks matched their names, a golden sword and thorny red roses, intricately designed.
A few minutes later, they reached the newly formed labyrinth. The dense forest around the entrance had been cleared, leaving space for several tents and stalls on either side.
The labyrinth itself had three cave-like entrances, each with a line of novice origin warrior groups waiting to enter.
Vincent scanned the area, noticing many Tier 1 origin warriors and a few Tier 2s, but no sign of any Tier 3s. It seemed that this low-tier labyrinth didn’t attract the attention of higher-ranking warriors.
It’s understandable… if I’m a Tier 3 warrior, I also won’t waste my time here.
After waiting for a while, it was finally their turn. Standing before the three-meter-tall entrance, a digital screen appeared in front of them.
Would you like to enter the Blackbite Rat Labyrinth?
Vincent wasn’t surprised. His temporary companions also had the same screen pop up. Once he accepted, the counter appeared: 1 of 5.
It quickly filled to 5 of 5 as the others agreed.
You may now enter the labyrinth! Good luck!
They exchanged glances, nodded, and stepped forward, passing through the liquid-like surface of the entrance. It felt just like the sensation he had experienced during the Primal Hunt field event.
“Let’s go!”
Soon, they found themselves in a narrow passage that could only fit two adults walking side by side. Jokyr, as the acting party leader, took the lead.
Vincent noticed that his companions didn’t seem surprised by the surroundings. He glanced back at the entrance, curious as to why no other groups were entering behind them.
Plenty of people had been waiting, so why wasn’t anyone following?
Strange…
Noticing his confusion, Jokyr spoke up. “Is this your first time here?”
Vincent nodded, seeing no reason to hide the fact that he was new to this labyrinth.
“I thought so. You’re probably wondering why no one else is coming in, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
A chuckle cut in their conversation.
“Haha, don’t worry about it. There are a lot of entrance and exit points in this place. It’s rare to spawn with another group in the same location,” Swordy chimed in.
“You all seem pretty familiar with this place,” Vincent remarked.
Jokyr chuckled.
“Kind of. We started grinding here on the first day this labyrinth appeared. Last time, we made it to the third underground level. I’m not sure how deep it goes, but we plan to conquer it.”
From that, Vincent gleaned a lot of information.
So, it’s an underground labyrinth… They’ve made it to the third level, and it goes even deeper.
“All right, team, let’s move. Same formation. Shroud, you stay at the back with Clauny and observe. Jump in if you see an opportunity, okay?”
Vincent nodded, finding nothing wrong with the arrangement.
They were still on the first floor, where only Tier 1, 1- to 2-star primals roamed. Most of the creatures were Blackbite Rats, which traveled in packs.
Before Jokyr could give any commands, Swordy lunged forward, slashing his thin but sharp sword through a group of rats.
Squeak!
The rats stood no chance against Swordy’s swift attack. The group continued moving through familiar territory, as they had been there before.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the second underground level. Despite the vastness of the first floor, they had easily found the entrance to the next.
They had only encountered a few groups of novice warriors, all of whom were at the early stages of Tier 1.
On the second floor, the cave-like pathway widened but grew darker. The first floor had been lit by glowing stones embedded in the walls, but down here, the light was sparse.
As soon as they reached the second floor, Rossy pulled out a fist-sized white gem. It was an Illuminary Stone. With a tap, it emitted a steady, bright light, hovering above them and illuminating their path.
Jokyr stepped forward again.
“Let’s keep up the pace and stay alert. We might start running into other parties now.”
The group nodded in agreement, Vincent included.
“So, how do you feel about our pace, Shroud?” Jokyr asked, unaware of his real strength.
Vincent didn’t feel the need to argue, understanding Jokyr meant no harm with the question. Clauny, however, thought differently.
“Leader, he might be stronger than you,” she said with a smirk.
Jokyr laughed, thinking Clauny was just trying to boost Vincent’s confidence. But he didn’t take her seriously.
“Let’s keep moving,” he said, brushing off her comment.
Clauny, frustrated by being ignored, glanced at Vincent, hoping he’d back her up. But she only met his calm, purple eyes before he followed the others.
“Hey! Wait up!” she called, hurrying after them.
After nearly an hour of traversing the second level and battling Tier 1, 2- to 3-star primals, they finally reached the entrance to the third floor. The journey had been smooth, though they had used up some of their origin energy and stamina.
—
Thanks for the continuous support. I remember your names, fam!
And I also take notes of the trollers name.
