Free Web NovelChapter 10: Fellow Explorers
Nuri pushed himself up and stood before the two diverging paths. The right hadn’t treated him well, from seeing Leonard’s corpse to being chased by three mantises. Still, it looked like the safer option — flat and narrow, with a faint glow coming from deep inside.
The left had a wide mouth, which made it vulnerable to even a small invasion, and it slanted down toward the depths with no light in sight.
Nuri drummed his foot. He stared from one opening to the other, weighing light against dark, narrow safety against the wide invitation of the depths.
At first glance, anyone would have chosen the right path, because it made sense. The Labyrinth, however, was no stranger to petty tricks that lured Explorers to their deaths. Sometimes, the best path is the one that looks most dangerous.
It didn’t have to make sense. This Labyrinth and the fickle gods of the Pantheon had already defied all reason. Seeking logic here was a fool’s errand. When the world itself went mad, his gut was the only thing he could trust, and the only anchor for his sanity.
Nuri shifted left and bolted into its once-in-a-lifetime experience of true darkness.
The glow of the pearl could only reach so far, fading into a luster no brighter than moonlight. As he ventured deeper, the radiance completely surrendered, forming a boundary between it and absolute darkness.
’Goodbye, my friend.’
Nuri marched on, keeping close to the passage wall to find his way.
The slope kept dropping at a steady angle, and his bandaged thigh screamed every step of the way. He couldn’t tell whether the wound had reopened. The dark swallowed even the glint of blood.
Nuri gritted his teeth and walked on. He didn’t want to stay down here for long. What if something jumped him, and his corpse was left to bloat and blacken forever in this godforsaken abyss? And after that, eternal purgatory with Rosaria?
Not the best way he wanted to go out, so to speak.
The dark tunnel stretched deeper, tempting Nuri to run straight into it, but he knew better, clinging to the wall and letting it guide him to salvation.
For about thirty minutes, it was just him and the darkness. He saw no monsters or any movement, which was strange in the Labyrinth. If everyone across the continent had entered the Labyrinth at the same time, surely he would have met someone along the way.
Then, just as Nuri had wished, he heard murmurs echoing from the other end of the passage.
’People!’
For the first time in what felt like silent torture, relief washed over Nuri’s entire body. He quickened his pace, fingertips skimming the jagged stone to keep his bearings.
He rounded the corner and saw dim light spilling at the far end — another bend, most likely, and beyond it might just be a clearing, maybe even a wide-open chamber.
The passage curved one last time, and the warm light spilled full into Nuri’s eyes. He squinted, raised a hand to cover his eyes on reflex, and lowered it once they adjusted. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The dungeon had opened into a cave, wide as a stone bowl and tall enough that the ceiling vanished into the dark fog. Nuri slowly lowered his head and froze.
"Huh, an academy kid?" a man with a scar slit across his eyes said.
"He came from that route? Damn, musta been tough," another man added, his long brown hair and overgrown beard glowing in the firelight.
"...Poor kid. Look at his wounds," a middle-aged woman remarked this time, her bright blue eyes filled with sympathy.
’Shit.’
Nuri expected people, but he certainly did not expect them to interact with him. On the lower floors, there was one unwritten rule — never interact with fellow Explorers, no matter how dire your circumstances are.
In the Labyrinth, you could die to either monsters or to the Marauders. They were savages who camped in the lower floors to plunder newbies, stripping them of all their gear before killing them. While the Explorer Guild had taken serious measures to combat them, a famous saying held true: "What happens in the Labyrinth, stays in the Labyrinth."
With no watchers or enforcers in that lawless place, those bastards felt bold enough to do as they pleased.
Even Professor Kendros warned them about this.
Nuri’s hand crept toward his sword on instinct, then stopped halfway.
"I think the boy doesn’t trust us, Murray," the woman said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
The scarface examined him, eyes narrowed.
"Must have been shaken by whatever he encountered. Let him be."
The brown-haired man took a lazy swig from his hip flask and gestured.
"Ay, kid, just go on your way if you’re scared. But we recommend resting here. You look real rough." freēwebnovel.com
Nuri looked over the party of three. They sat easily around the fire, their gear worn down to the bone. Their laidback attitude and unspoken chemistry made them seem trustworthy. If they were Marauders, he would have been dead the moment he rounded the corner.
Three veterans versus one academy student... He would have bet his whole fortune on his death.
Satisfied with his reasoning, Nuri slowly approached the veteran trio. He bowed in respect, trying to secure a lifeline. Having company in the Labyrinth was never a bad thing, provided you found good people.
"My name is Nuri. I’m a first-year and first-timer."
The blue-eyed woman rose gracefully, tucking her brown hair behind her ear.
"Ah, Nuri! Very unique name. I’m Diana. This hunky guy is my husband Murray, and that drunkard is Hugo, my older brother."
’Wow, a family of Explorers. Now that’s fascinating.’
Hugo raised his hip flask.
"Sup."
Murray, hands hovering over the fire, glanced at Nuri.
"How’s the Labyrinth been treating you so far?"
Diana drifted to him and offered a handshake. Nuri shook her hand, his eyes on Murray.
He thought about his experience so far, and to put it lightly, it wasn’t the best.
Nuri huffed a dry laugh.
"Not as good as I hoped it would be."
