The Labyrinth, also known as the Palace of Heaven. Its name came from its dizzying height, stretching endlessly into the clouds. No one knew exactly how many floors it had. Only 30 had been cleared so far. Looking up, that seemed just one-fifth of the whole maze. Monsters here differed from surface ones. They were fiercer, more savage, and endless. Previous adventurers reported they hatched from the labyrinth walls. Every ten floors, a super powerful Lord monster spawned. Only by defeating it could explorers advance upward...
Aerin walked through the dark labyrinth, reading the "Beginner's Guide to Labyrinth Exploration."
"This setup..."
"What’s wrong? Something weird?" Aerin put down the manual, looking at me.
"This setup feels like someone deliberately placed the labyrinth here for people to conquer." It matched most games.
"Now that you mention it... it does feel that way." Aerin flipped through the manual again.
"Husband, you’re right. It’s as if someone wants humans to grow stronger." Tia chimed in.
"Exactly... who could it be?"
"It must be the great Goddess Sophia~~ to make humanity stronger!" Aerin suddenly clasped her hands in prayer.
"Huh? Who’s that? I never knew you were religious!" I stared in surprise.
"She’s the goddess worshipped across all nations of the Aismode Continent," Tia answered.
"Do you believe too?" I looked at Tia.
"I do, but I’m not that fanatical," Tia replied calmly.
"Aaaaaah~~~ ahhh~~~ ahhhhhhhh~~~"
A strange cry echoed through the dark labyrinth. Instantly, goosebumps ran down my spine.
"It’s fine. At level 200, these little monsters can’t threaten me." Though I thought that, instinctive fear crept in. Maybe my mind wasn’t strong enough.
"Th-this... what’s there to be scared of!" Aerin’s legs trembled.
"You’re in no position to talk."
"Husband! Get ready to fight!" True to her Gold Adventurer title, she was already prepared.
"No problem!" I quickly raised my Magic Staff.
"Husband, avoid magic attacks. You might blow up the labyrinth," Tia said.
"Impossible. The labyrinth walls can’t be destroyed," Aerin explained.
"Even if it doesn’t destroy the walls, your magic would still wreck us," Tia bluntly stated.
*I facepalmed.*
"Here it comes!!! Footsteps sound like goblins!" Tia’s words were cut off by rapid barefoot slaps from afar.
The manual suggested goblins. This floor had weak monsters, meant for beginners.
"Hmph! Goblins? Those sharp-faced little imps? Leave it to me!" Aerin raised her spear heroically.
The next second—
"Help!!! What is this thing!!! Where are the promised goblins!!!" Aerin screamed, running frantically behind me.
"Why follow me!!! Where did that heroic stance go!!!" I shouted back.
"But it was supposed to be goblins! What is this red-eyed, ghoul-faced thing with a gaping maw!!!" Aerin pointed and screamed while running.
"Goblins in the labyrinth are all like this!" Tia jogged behind me too.
"Labyrinth limited edition!?"
"Why is it chasing me!!??" Aerin cried.
"Don’t panic! It looks scary, but it’s low-level. Take it down fast," I told Aerin.
"Aren’t you stronger! Why aren’t you fighting!!" Aerin shouted back.
"This is too disgusting!! I don’t want to touch it!" I felt physical revulsion.
"Aren’t you a mage!! Just cast a spell without touching it!!"
"O Flame God, grant me fiery power! Fireball!" Tia turned and cast at the goblin. Heat washed over us. The chasing goblin became a pile of charcoal.
*I slumped in defeat.*
We stopped, panting heavily.
"Embarrassing—we were chased all this way. One fireball finished it like that snail," I gasped.
"But... it was really scary," Aerin breathed heavily.
"And disgusting!" Tia added.
"We must overcome this barrier! Or we’ll never climb higher," I said seriously, regaining composure.
Suddenly, more footsteps sounded.
"This time, no running from low-level monsters!!! Show adventurer’s courage!!!" I raised my Magic Staff confidently.
"Right!! Just one limited-edition goblin!!! We’ll defeat it!!!" Aerin struck a heroic pose with her spear.
The next second—
"It was supposed to be one!!! Why a whole horde!!!" Aerin screamed, running behind me.
"Why so many all at once!!" I asked Tia while running.
"I don’t know! This shouldn’t happen normally!" Tia thought aloud.
"Why do they all target me!!!!!!!!" Aerin’s voice cracked near tears.
I looked back. Blood-red-eyed goblins stared at Aerin—precisely, at her backpack.
"Aerin!! What’s in your bag!???"
"Huh!?? Our three bento boxes!!"
"Throw them away!!"
"No!! I worked hard on those!" Aerin made a reluctant face.
"Then wipe out that horde yourself!! It’s fireball-level! You’ll win easily," I said, eyeing the endless goblins.
"I... I was wrong!!!" Aerin yanked off her backpack and threw the bento boxes behind.
The goblins stopped chasing and pounced on the food.
"You... what did you put in the bento??" I caught my breath.
"Nothing special!! Just regular seasonings. Oh! I added a whole bottle of super tasty spice from the table." Aerin showed an empty bottle.
"That’s monster lure. A sprinkle attracts hordes," Tia explained.
"Huh??" Aerin was dumbfounded.
"So it’s your fault!! No wonder they chased you!!" I pointed at the goblin mob fighting over bento.
"So... what now??"
"Since we attracted them, wipe them all out," Tia suggested.
"Leave it to me~~~" I raised my Magic Staff.
【Jack’s Descent】
A colossal pumpkin shot from the Magic Array before my staff. Its width filled the entire corridor. It charged, pinning all goblins against the wall and smashing them into it.
"BOOM!!!"
Heat surged. The wall blew open, revealing blue sky outside.
"Weren’t you saying the labyrinth can’t be destroyed!!!"
I’d messed up badly. I rushed to the hole.
"Huh?? It’s self-repairing." The damaged edges shrank inward like a healing wound.
"I feel a weird nausea," Aerin said, making a disgusted face.
