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?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
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.