◈ Episode 132. Complaining (1)

“What is this?”

An occupational disease of a NetTuber.

As Park Hwigang muttered to himself, the chat window sputtered.

-Why, what, what, what???

-Hwigang, angle the camera!!!

-I’m going crazy with curiosity.

-Is our Ho-yeol there?! It’s just Homen.

“No. Mr. Ho Yeol hasn’t appeared…….”

The camera angle switches at the touch of a button.

The [Teffern Black Contractors] finally appeared on the viewers’ screens.

-ㅁㅊ What are there so many of them? ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

-They can’t do anything, can they?

-Where are they going????

It’s literally huge.

After being stunned by the volume, the viewers also noticed the incongruity. The [Teffern Black Contractor], they realized, was clearly the monster that had been listed in the update.

“Why isn’t it attacking like it did earlier?”

“Would I even know if you asked me?”

“Brothers, I drank all that potion for nothing, how can you help me pay for it?”

I don’t know what happened, but…….

Whoa─

For now, sighs of relief erupted from all around.

However, Park Hwigang was still on edge.

He had an explorer’s intuition.

“This is not a trap.”

Koo-koo-koo-koo-koo!

Even at this moment, the labyrinth was vibrating like it was about to collapse. Even if someone was trolling, there would be no such thing as a device that could shake the entire labyrinth.

“There must be more to this than that…….”

Ordinarily, I would have had a hard time thinking about it.

But it didn’t take long.

There was only one possibility.

Ho Yeol was in the [Teffern Labyrinth] rift.

‘……That’s right, Mr. Ho-Yeol is on a quest!’

The incident at the [Teffern Fence] rift.

Ho-yeol’s conversation with the Dark Spirit.

When the scene hit the airwaves, there was a lot of analysis of their conversation. The infinite darkness is definitely Ho Yeol’s class, something…….

But there was only one conclusion.

-“Only you can solve this Labyrinth of Teffern.”

Ho-Yeol has received a quest related to the Teffern Labyrinth.

The end of the tail between his legs.

Park Hwigang opened his mouth.

“I think this is Mr. Ho-yeol’s doing.”

-What? Mr. Ho Yeol?

Are you saying that Ho-yeol was trolling?

-Blasphemy!

“No. This is not trolling!”

I could tell by the way the [Teffern Black Contractors] acted.

It was as if they had stepped on a trap.

The mobs woke up, but they didn’t attack.

They were just moving toward somewhere.

Toward the depths of the labyrinth, to be precise.

‘Could this be part of the quest that Ho-yeol is on?’

Despite his conclusion, Park Hwigang remained silent.

It might be too much speculation.

He didn’t want to cause any trouble for Ho-Yeol.

But for others to find out.

He didn’t need to explain.

The Black Contractors of Tefferne had been repeating the same lines since their first appearance.

Their lines have changed.

“……After a long wait, the opportunity to correct a wrong has come.”

“!!!”

It wasn’t just one.

All the black contractors were saying it.

The players exchanged glances with each other, including Park Hwigang.

Before anyone could say anything, they spoke up.

“This is part of the quest!”

“What kind of quest scale is……?”

“Some people can’t even get a single fucking Job Quest!”

What kind of quest was this?

What kind of quest could shake up the entire Labyrinth and have such an impact?

Aside from envy, my heart was pounding as a fellow player.

At that moment, someone spoke up.

“How about we follow them?”

As the [Teffern Black Contractors] woke up and started moving, I stopped worrying about traps.

Indeed, if we literally follow behind them…….

“Maybe we can get to the depths of the Labyrinth safely.”

The depths of the Labyrinth.

There, you’ll be reunited with the players you lost when you entered the Rift.

Among them, I’m sure, is Ho Yeol. Away from the loot of the Labyrinth, for this moment, he could only be driven by pure curiosity.

“I want to see with my own eyes what you’re doing!”

I wanted to see Ho Yeol in action.

It wasn’t just Park Hwigang’s party.

All the players who had entered the Labyrinth.

The starting points they fell from.

“If we follow them, we can reach the depths of the Labyrinth, right?”

“There will be Lee Ho-yeol there.”

“Then we’ll be able to see what the hell he’s up to?”

A moment of judgment.

There was no one to speak first.

Urrrr-!

At each starting point, the players followed the parade of [Teffern Black Contractors].

As expected.

The trap was no longer triggered.

“What’s so deep about this labyrinth anyway?”

“This isn’t really a rift that was meant to be cleared.”

“At your normal speed, you wouldn’t even reach the depths, let alone clear it, before the rift collapsed.”

Underground, deeper underground, even with the tongue in cheek.

Hastening their steps, the players arrived.

Deep within the Teffern Labyrinth.

And they saw it.

“……What is that?”

The rock walls of the Labyrinth.

A huge ‘something’ filled the wall.

“……Is it a jewel, and does it look like it’s moving?”

“Brothers, didn’t that thing just flinch?”

“Wait. Was that a pupil?”

“Dude. Don’t be crazy. What kind of pupils are those?!”

They were so big that I couldn’t recognize them at a glance.

It was the kind of size you want to deny.

Pupils that must have been ten meters across.

Someone stuttered.

“……If that’s the pupil, how big is the body?”

Bam!

The moment I realized, goosebumps broke out all over my body.

For a moment, Arcana’s boss mobs flashed through my mind. Was there ever a monster with such a huge body? I couldn’t think of one, even as I searched my memory.

Noise.

Players arriving from other starting points.

“There they are. I told you I was late.”

“Yeah, right. So the situation on the other side was the same as ours?”

“Wow. What’s so much?”

” ……, wait.”

One by one, they were met with giant pupils.

It wasn’t like they’d gotten an error message yet.

Players could tell right away.

“I knew it was weird from the beginning of the Labyrinth!”

“What, the recommended level of 500? Holy shit!”

“I knew it when he entered the labyrinth in the first place. I knew it!”

This is not an enemy that can be dealt with at our level.

It was an intuitive realization.

Therefore, my gaze naturally turned to Ho Yeol.

“…… I don’t doubt him, but is it possible?”

Lee Ho-yeol.

Estimated level, at least level 900.

But even if it was just Ho-yeol.

Do you think he could handle this guy?

Upon encountering the creature, everyone was overwhelmed by its size.

The onlookers, including the players, felt uneasy.

“Boss mobs are different. Even if you have the level advantage, their stats are different from normal monsters. But there’s no way that thing is lower in level than Lee Ho-yeol…….”

Furthermore, Ho Yeol’s power was not at one hundred percent right now.

Ho Yeol, his individual power would remain the same.

The forces that follow him.

Magic Tower.

The Knights of the Lionheart.

The Shadow Mercenaries.

The Paladins of the Goddess Church.

None of those overwhelming forces were with him this time.

“Three explorers accompanied Lee Ho-Yeol.”

Of course, none of them were ordinary explorers, including the legendary explorer Fabian.

But explorers were strictly a non-combat class.

That means they can’t be expected to be of much help in combat.

A few quick-thinking players spoke up.

“Then we can join, right? To Hoyeol.”

“Yes, of course we should join him, we’re in the same boat.”

“Right, because we need to take him down, but…….”

……Honestly, do you think we can help?

I don’t know, but is he blind?

There was no focus in the giant pupils.

They were merely open.

Still, I wasn’t sure.

His skin peeked out from beneath the rocks of the labyrinth.

“I honestly don’t think I’m going to be able to make a living at this level.”

The players imagined the worst.

What if the creature’s pupils came back into focus.

What if his gaze was directed at them…….

“Damn, I’m already getting nervous. This.”

Is this what it’s like when your body and head are playing separately?

SonggolSonggol─

The players’ hands began to sweat as they gripped their equipment.

But the players had overlooked one thing.

This place.

The presence of the [Teffern Black Contractors] gathered in the depths of the labyrinth.

The Black Contractor, a shimmering black figure, began to move.

“!”

The narrow passages of the Labyrinth made it impossible to accurately count their number.

As they entered the vast depths, their numbers came into view.

Or, more accurately, they were too many to count.

“There must be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands!”

The anxiety was already building.

Someone muttered in a low voice.

“……What if they suddenly turn on us?”

“Oh, no, we’ll all die.”

“It’s too late to run away now, guys.”

Gulp─

A dry heave.

But the concern was short-lived.

“?”

The black contractors, who had poured out from different directions, began to move.

Five and ten in formation.

“……What, all of a sudden?”

The first thing I noticed was the lack of formality and procedure.

The first thing I noticed.

It was Park Hwigang, who was quick to recognize, but whose faith never wavered.

“Mr. Ho-yeol. Where is Mr. Ho-yeol?

Ho-yeol must have moved the black contractor!

Park Hwigang searched the depths.

The depths of the Labyrinth were crowded with Black Contractors and players.

To find Ho Yeol in the middle of it all.

It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Found …….”

Park Hwigang immediately found Ho-yeol.

Through faith?

No, it wasn’t like that.

In the depths of a dark labyrinth.

There, a figure emitted a brilliant halo.

[The White Outer Wing].

Its wings, imbued with a hundred attribute magic, fluttered, radiating its presence, and its silver hair reflected the light.

“Ho Yeol!”

Ho Yeol’s presence was brilliant even in this hopeless labyrinth.

It was like an infinite darkness.

A single ray of light shining through it.

Park Hwigang activated the skill, [Explorer’s Gaze], to get a closer look at Ho Yeol’s appearance. He squinted to see if he was mistaken.

No matter how I looked at it, that thing in Ho Yeol’s hand didn’t seem to be…….

“……Teacup?”

Morak Morak─

It was also a steaming teacup.

*

Dalcak─

The unwavering angle of the neck and arms.

A teacup tilted in a disciplined manner.

……Tea time in the middle of nowhere.

I wonder how it looks to others.

Forget it, I don’t even want to think about it anymore.

Yes, if I think about it, I’m the only one suffering. Ho Yeol-ah…….

[Slight increase in magic regeneration for 6 hours].

So-called eating herbs while crying.

I stared into his huge pupils.

He was the one who shouldn’t be awakened.

Indeed, the legendary explorer’s reputation was not going anywhere.

Fabian identified the creature as soon as he saw its pupils.

“Snake or lizard, judging by the skin. But at this size, it could be…….”

glup─

Fabian broke out in a cold sweat.

“I’m guessing it’s something related to dragons.”

Fabian’s erudition sometimes hurts me.

……Dragons?

I’ve just barely defeated a demon, and now I’m facing a dragon.

I’m sure of it now. This is all because I didn’t invest any stat points in [Luck], I swear……!

‘It’s endgame content, the dragon.’

Dragons.

Power was a simple word to describe it.

『The lesson of the Dragon Demon War, which had left untold damage, was clear. Even a magic tower was no match for an immortal dragon. …….』

If nothing else, that’s what it said in the book I read in the tower.

No exaggeration, so it was no wonder Fabian was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“My lord, now I understand why Teffern, an ancient city of this magnitude, would sacrifice everything to seal this creature away.”

Of course, dragons are not demons.

It’s just that [natural enemy] will never be triggered.

Or if it did, it wasn’t someone you could beat.

Even if it was triggered, it couldn’t be defeated.

The Magic Tower that was involved took the defeat as a lesson.

It even made it into a book.

……You sound like you’ve been badly screwed.

The old me might have said so.

But, you know what?

I’ve gotten over the gap.

I’ve gotten used to it.

‘That’s not a dragon.’

Why am I so sure?

Because I knew there were tiers to quests.

[10 Wonders Quest: The Labyrinth of Teffern].

Tetfern, the 10th Wonder of the Arcana Continent.

Clear the Labyrinth of Teffern.

Reveal the true nature of Teffern to the world.

Wonders uncovered so far : 0 / 10

─Witness the Labyrinth of Teffern. (Success)

─Reach the depths of the Labyrinth. (Pending)

─Defeat the ‘One Who Must Not Be Awakened’ sleeping in the depths. (Ongoing)

If only this quest was actually about dragons.

This wouldn’t be categorized as a Top 10 Wonder Quest.

This means that it would have emerged as a truly world quest rather than a world level quest.

[World Quest: Seed of the World Tree]

Like the World Tree Quest.

So I was secretly thinking it was worth a shot.

That’s why I’m doing all these preparations, right?

From equipping items to doping herbs.

Part of me wanted to take care of Fabian’s group.

“It’s a shame I don’t have a tea to give you guys.”

Luckily, Fabian waved it off.

“No, not to worry, I’m not in the mood for anything even if you offered.”

“Me neither.”

“I agree.”

Well, it makes me feel less guilty to hear you say that.

Besides, it wasn’t just me and Fabian here.

Why, there are players who entered the rift with us, as it seems.

And the proud people of Teffern, who sacrificed themselves for the peace of the continent of Arcana.

[10,890 Black Contractors of Teffern]

[Current status: Awaiting orders]

And I know.

Something that must not be awakened.

I don’t know if it’s a real dragon or not, but I do know that it’s not in one piece. The 『Black Crown』 is maintained at the expense of the people of Tefern.

‘This guy has been deprived of his five senses.’

[Blindness], [Silence], [Paralysis], etc……..

It meant that there were all kinds of status ailments.

At this moment, the blinking, unfocused pupils were proof.

And I have enough “proper magic power” to make the effect of the Black Crown even stronger. So I can open my mouth as confidently as ever.

“You must not be awakened.”

At the same time, the proper amount of magic power is raised.

Even though he won’t be able to hear me.

I continued.

“If you’re a sleeper, I’ll take you in, and go wild wherever you want.”

……Anyway, cubic crystals.

That’s what I said, and nothing else.

I can’t let a guy who’s related to a dragon run amok……!

My desperate will floated to the surface as a message.

[Fear occurs in a being that should not be awakened.]