Kim Saje and the Great Labyrinth — Part 2
“Are you alright, Saje?”
“Phew… I’m okay. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”
“You were lucky.”
“Hehe. If you hadn’t started shouting and causing a scene, that woman would’ve inspected every speck of dust in this room. I almost got caught back there.”
Kim Saje laughed, saying that hiding was the only skill he’d mastered during his days on the run.
He raided the minibar again.
He must not have been eating properly during his escape.
Only after he completely emptied the minibar—devouring all the chocolate bars, chocolates, cookies, and potato chips—did Kim Saje finally catch his breath.
“But why are you alone? Weren’t you made the Patriarch of your cult?”
“I was. I was officially elected as Patriarch by the council.”
“Congratulations. Well, it’d be strange if a Level 5 Apostle wasn’t made Patriarch.”
“Originally, I traveled with the Protectors, but we’ve split up temporarily. It’s because we’re transporting the treasure.”
Treasure…
It must be quite the haul.
Even if it’s from three thousand years ago, the religion was once prosperous, so it makes sense.
Kim Saje glanced at me and cautiously spoke.
“That’s why I want to ask you a favor.”
“Right, you mentioned that. What is it?”
“Could you take me to the Great Labyrinth?”
“The Great Labyrinth?”
“Yes, to the Fortress of Beginnings on the 10th floor.”
I understood the situation.
Kim Saje’s cult couldn’t openly operate in the current state.
Their god had only been resurrected after three thousand years.
Until the god fully regains power, hiding was a necessity since they weren’t listed in the Westphalian Covenant.
They had to endure.
The Fortress of Beginnings in the Great Labyrinth was a good choice for that.
Laws of the surface world didn’t apply within the Great Labyrinth.
“So, the Protectors are already at the Fortress of Beginnings?”
“Yes. I’m the decoy.”
“What? Are you joking? What kind of kid acts as a decoy?”
“Someone at my level qualifies to be a decoy.”
Fair enough.
A Level 5 Apostle appearing after thousands of years.
No wonder the Old Father’s Cult was chasing him so relentlessly.
I stared at Kim Saje, feeling a pang of pity.
The fact that this innocent kid volunteered to act as bait made me feel bad for him.
“I’m not asking you to take me there for free. From the treasure I recovered, I’ll give you a few things that suit you.”
“Well, I won’t say no to that. You’re a Level 5, and I’m an official Protector, so we don’t need any extra certification. Let’s rest for a bit and leave at 3 a.m.”
“Okay, Hyung.”
“Before that, I need to check something. What abilities did you get? You can at least do basic healing and blessings, right?”
“I think I can handle most things—healing, blessings, shields, offense…”
I activated [Insight] to check Kim Saje’s abilities.
It had only been a few months since we last saw each other, but his traits had undergone a complete transformation.
[Apostle] [Complete Recovery] [Light of Purification]
[Divine Domain] [Wrath of God] [Golden Blessing]
Healing Hands had evolved into Complete Recovery, and Purification into Light of Purification. Holy Shield had become Divine Domain, and Light’s Arrow had turned into Wrath of God.
And on top of that, Golden Blessing?
It was a unique blessing exclusive to Kim Saje’s cult.
It greatly amplified luck, enhancing critical hit rates, evasion chances, resistance rates, item drop rates, and more.
Kim Saje didn’t explain much about his traits.
Judging by his demeanor, he didn’t seem to fully understand them himself.
He hadn’t had much experience yet, and he probably hadn’t compared himself to other priests.
“Alright. With that, the two of us should be able to make it to the 10th floor.”
“You’re practically a Level 5 Warrior, right, Hyung? I heard the stories. You defeated a Level 5 Reinforced in a one-on-one fight.”
“That’s about right. If you’re worried, should we ask someone else for help?”
If I asked, Sigmund or Hjordis would lend a hand.
They were both Level 5 Warriors, so their assistance would be valuable.
Kim Saje shook his head.
“No. It’s better if it’s just the two of us. The Inquisitor uses some kind of special authority—they track you down faster if more people know about your whereabouts. I think it’s the Authority of Revelation.”
“Authority of Revelation?”
“The more people know about your location, the faster they can track you. Even earlier, they probably pieced together traces from the hotel staff who saw me and pursued me based on their subconscious impressions.”
“That’s… possible?”
“I only learned about it just now.”
I’d heard of entities growing stronger the more people knew about them, but that was quite the peculiar authority.
In the end, we decided to head to the Great Labyrinth alone.
At exactly 3 a.m.—the time when the bustling city finally settled into quiet—we slipped out.
We avoided the staff as much as possible, using the stairs and exiting through the back door.
“Let’s take it slow.”
“Okay, Hyung.”
Fortunately, the Great Labyrinth wasn’t far from the hotel.
The Protector Alliance headquarters, their affiliated apartments, and their hotels were all strategically placed as barriers around it.
After walking for about 15 minutes, the Great Labyrinth revealed its majestic form.
From above, it looked like a spiraling snail shell.
From ground level, it was nothing short of a massive mountain.
In front of the Great Labyrinth stood an enormous magical wall.
The wall towered over 100 meters high.
Its thickness and layers of defensive magic were so extensive that even large-scale spells from high-level mages couldn’t break through it.
The security was intense.
Superhumans armed with magical rifles and swords stood guard at a narrow passageway barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
“Halt. What is your business here?”
“You’re doing a great job. We’re here to enter the Great Labyrinth.”
“At this hour?”
“We have our reasons.”
Both Kim Saje and I had our faces covered.
“Hmm.”
The superhuman looked at me and frowned.
“A Level 4 superhuman, officially registered as a Protector…”
I had removed my Honorary Paladin insignia.
Even so, since we needed to enter the Great Labyrinth, I wore my Protector badge.
It seemed to make him suspicious of me.
After hesitating a few times, the guard finally stepped aside.
“As you know, entry into the Great Labyrinth is permitted for anyone who is an official Protector or Level 5 and above. However, please remember that upon exiting the Labyrinth, your identity will be verified.”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“Also, what you do or have done outside doesn’t matter in the Great Labyrinth. But remember the saying: ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ If you break the laws of the Labyrinth, you will be executed immediately. Don’t expect to act as recklessly as you might on the surface—your head won’t stay attached for long.”
It seemed they thought of me and Kim Saje as fugitives.
Which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely wrong.
From a typical perspective, Kim Saje was a heinous criminal of the worst kind.
“Thank you for the warning.”
“May you find peace.”
Thud, thud, thud.
We walked along the concrete structure.
It was quite a long path.
After walking over a kilometer, we finally reached an entrance engraved with ancient runes.
[The Great Labyrinth]
[Seal of the Fallen Gods]
The first floor didn’t look much different from the outside world.
It reminded me of the first landfill site I’d visited a few times before.
In fact, it was so well-maintained that it seemed surprisingly clean.
Square concrete corridors stretched on, illuminated by bright fluorescent lights embedded in the ceiling.
There were even public restrooms at regular intervals and designated camping spots for resting.
“Whew!”
Kim Saje pulled back his hood.
“We finally made it inside.”
“Do you have a place to stay at the Fortress of Beginnings?”
“There are lots of our priests stationed there. I’m planning to live in the apartments they’ve set up. They’ve all been leveling up recently.”
“What about the Grand Temple?”
“We’re still considering it. We’re planning to collect more gold and build a temple, but wouldn’t constructing a Grand Temple inside the Great Labyrinth be a bit much?”
“The Gaia Cult and other cults would love it. Same with the Protector Alliance. Strategically, building a Grand Temple here, gathering your strength, and then expanding to the surface would be a good move.”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”
Once inside the Labyrinth, Kim Saje visibly relaxed.
Even as we headed toward the second floor, he kept chattering non-stop.
On the other hand, I didn’t let my guard down.
[Sixth Sense] [Insight] [Sensitivity]
[Keen Ears] [Bright Eyes] [Keen Nose]
I used everything I had—combined with the [Detection] ability of my helmet and the [Danger Sense] of my ring—to survey the surroundings.
The Great Labyrinth was far too dangerous a place to walk through carelessly.
I also couldn’t shake the lingering unease from the words the Inquisitor had muttered as we left the hotel.
“Kiiiii…”
Maybe that’s why I caught the strange sound.
Along with it, the faint scent of sulfur pricked at my nose.
“Kirit, Kiririt.”
“Kik, Kik, Kik.”
“Kikit! Kitkit!”
A distinctive sound, like nails scratching against glass.
And on the first floor of the Labyrinth?
It could only mean one thing.
Rumble!
I drew Mjolnir from my waist.
Instead of the clear hum of a holy sword, thunder rolled as the weapon came alive in my hand.
“Hyung? What’s going on?”
“There are demons ahead.”
“D-Demons? What should we do?”
“It’s just the first floor, so we’re probably dealing with Level 3 demons. Don’t worry too much. You could kill them all with just a few Light’s Arrows.”
One thing I’d learned in this world was that its inhabitants were both similar to and different from NPCs in games.
The biggest difference?
They didn’t rely solely on the traits they officially possessed.
For instance, just because Kim Saje had [Wrath of God] didn’t mean he only used that ability.
He could freely utilize its lower-tier skills like [Light’s Arrow] and [Holy Spear] as needed.
That said, the additional stats and perks still followed the rules of the currently equipped traits. Unless there were special circumstances, the default traits remained in use.
“I’m a bit nervous.”
“Why? Haven’t you been in combat much?”
“I’ve only ever run away.”
“Well, you definitely know how to hide, I’ll give you that.”
“That’s only because our god helped me.”
We moved forward slowly.
The scent of sulfur grew stronger.
The sounds from earlier had disappeared, but I could still sense their presence clearly.
Kim Saje’s nose twitched.
“Hyung, this smell…”
“Remember it. In the Labyrinth, whenever you smell sulfur, it means demons are about to appear. Even if there’s nothing around you, if you catch this scent, assume a demon is watching you.”
“That’s… kind of creepy.”
“What are you scared of? You’re an Apostle.”
The demons were already closing in.
They were trying to sneak up on us, but they couldn’t fool my eyes.
I was about to throw my weapon but instead handed Mjolnir to Kim Saje.
“Bless it for me.”
“Yes, yes!”
Kim Saje reached out to touch Mjolnir.
Kwakwakwa! A massive pillar of light descended from the heavens, piercing through the ceiling and striking Mjolnir.
The beam of light was at least 10 meters in diameter.
Mjolnir absorbed the light and began to glow violently, crackling with raw energy.
Boom! Crackle!
It had become a mass of pure lightning, practically unrecognizable.
Was this what Zeus’s thunderbolt, Astrape, would look like?
I lifted Mjolnir, now transformed into a spear of lightning.
The overwhelming divine power coursing through it filled me with a godlike sense of omnipotence.
It felt as if I could split mountains and crush the sky.
‘Incredible.’
An SSR-grade weapon enhanced with Golden Blessing?
I didn’t even need a heavy swing or any special skill.
With [Throw] equipped, I hurled Mjolnir forward.
KWA-RUUUM!
Lightning exploded.
Even with all my detection traits equipped, my vision blurred for a moment from the sheer intensity of the light.
An enormous surge of brightness erupted, and rivers of lightning flowed, tearing through the air.
Mjolnir shot forward like a dragon, reaching its peak before boomeranging back to me.
I caught it effortlessly.
The aftermath, however, was terrifying.
“Wha—?!”
Kim Saje gasped, almost choking.
The concrete hallway ahead of us was completely scorched, reduced to charred rubble.
The hard, gray walls of the corridor were completely scorched black.
And the demons?
The ones that had been sneaking toward us in stealth were obliterated, leaving only fragments of their remains.
“Wow… as expected of Mjolnir. It’s truly Mjolnir.”
“Your blessing was amazing too. It felt like… no, Mjolnir’s power exploded at 100%, maybe even 200%.”
“Hehe. Well, our god did lend a lot of strength to it.”
Was it because of the Level 5 blessing?
It felt like every possible boost—additional attack power, elemental enhancements, and critical hits—had all activated at once.
As I passed by the destroyed demons, I extended my hand.
[Extraction] activated.
I smoothly pulled out the mana cores, and Kim Saje watched with amazement in his eyes.
“Hyung, you really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve.”
“Climbing up from the bottom does that to you.”
“Oh, right. You said you started out as a Cleaner, didn’t you? Did you ever hunt magic beasts?”
“I did that too. I’m a full member of the Korean Hunter Association.”
“Cleaner, Hunter, Protector… That’s like the standard progression path, isn’t it?”
“Pretty much. Here, take these.”
I handed him the collected mana cores—twenty-two in total.
In other words, Mjolnir’s throw had reduced twenty-two demons to ashes in a single strike.
It was a huge leap from my early days when I had to work tirelessly just to extract a single Level 0 mana core.
Kim Saje blinked as he took the cores.
“Wait, Hyung? You did all the work, but you’re giving me some?”
“All the work? You cast the blessing too, didn’t you?”
“Still… we’re close, Hyung. I wouldn’t mind if you kept it all for yourself.”
“The closer you are, the more precise you have to be about these things.”
“Really, it’s fine though…”
“You need gold, don’t you? These Level 3 mana cores are worth a fair amount. Trade them for gold when we get to the Fortress of Beginnings.”
Even with [Synthesis], there are limits.
While there’s no chance of failure with Level 0, 1, or 2 cores, failures start happening around Level 3.
Sometimes, the materials even vanish entirely.
That’s why higher-level mana cores are exponentially more expensive—and why Kim Saje would need them.
He gave a sheepish laugh.
“Then… I’ll gratefully accept them.”
“Got something to store them in?”
“Of course.”
It seemed even someone like Kim Saje still had a few useful tricks up his sleeve.
He stored the mana cores into a small pocket of subspace—a storage artifact he’d taken from an ancient treasure vault.
Though small, it worked like a game inventory, making it perfect for discreetly carrying valuables.
Step, step, step.
We pressed onward through the Great Labyrinth.
The first ten floors were essentially the beginner area, so the demons we encountered were at most Level 3 or 4.
The floors themselves were also relatively small, so within a few hours, we could reach the Fortress of Beginnings.
The experience was somewhat like climbing Mount Jirisan—roughly a five-hour trek.
If all went well, we’d arrive just as morning broke on the surface.
After about four hours of walking, as we neared the Fortress of Beginnings…
At the end of the ninth floor, where the narrow passage led down to the tenth, we ran into a group that had already taken control of the area.
“You’re late.”
A woman stood before us, clad in a bishop’s robe layered beneath steel plate armor.
An Inquisitor.
–TL Notes–
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