Chapter 60
Episode 60: Operation to Rescue Jang Du-sik (5)
'Only those who survive, survive.'
Erik pondered the adventurers' iron rule.
The 5th floor where Jang Du-sik was located was the last lower floor accessible without conquering the floor master, serving as a gathering point for mid-level adventurers.
'They said Du-sik became vice-director.'
Vice-Director of the Possessor Management Bureau, Jang Du-sik.
Though the position the Emperor granted was merely for show and provided no imperial conquest benefits.
A silver moon brooch, the Empire's symbol, would be pinned to Jang Du-sik's chest.
'The adventurer bastards won't help Du-sik.'
When adventurers abandoned even their own kind, he didn't think they would help Jang Du-sik.
To confirm this, Erik turned his gaze toward Company Commander Jasmine.
'A perfectly fine adventurer yet imperial soldiers in rags.'
She was even a Sword Master.
Jasmine's mithril armor was covered in cracks, looking ready to shatter at any moment.
Her single braid was dry and split, and her clearly pretty face was stained with blood.
'Military treatment in the labyrinth is absolutely terrible.'
In the Empire, the military had an entirely different meaning from the Security Bureau or Imperial Guard.
'Being a soldier is a great honor.'
The Security Bureau knights and Imperial Guard of the capital were positioned somewhat like police, but the military literally existed for the nation called the Empire.
With the sublime mission of protecting the nation.
'Discharge isn't even possible in the imperial military.'
In exchange, the treatment was excellent and they received the people's respect.
To enlist in a military where discharge was impossible, one needed a suitable sense of mission for protecting the nation.
'Completely different from the Republic of Korea.'
Erik recalled Park Ji-hun's past military service.
Perhaps because of that experience, he held the Empire's soldiers in even higher regard.
The Empire's soldiers were volunteers with a sense of mission, filtered through strict selection and reborn through high-difficulty training.
'Yet, this is how they're treated.'
Only royalty bearing the Arman name could mobilize the military.
Whether guarding borders according to protective duties, managing labyrinths.
Or leading conquest wars to expand the nation's territory.
"You've worked hard fulfilling your duty to protect the nation."
Organizing such thoughts, Erik placed his hand on Jasmine's face.
Monster blood clung to her face like a husk.
Erik gently removed it.
"Th... thank you."
Jasmine bowed to Erik with flushed cheeks.
Erik gazed at Jasmine and spoke flatly.
"The imperial army should rest as is."
"B-but, the floor master will soon—"
"I'll handle it alone."
Erik was the owner of glory bestowed by His Imperial Majesty, a tremendous being who was both pilgrim and saint.
Moreover, Sword Master Jasmine felt Erik's realm was extraordinarily profound.
However, she couldn't rest.
"A monster wave is coming. With all the adventurers gathered here too..."
"The adventurers can handle the monster wave."
Erik declared flatly.
At those words, the adventurers began stirring.
"No, there's a covenant."
"Why should we?"
Though small mutterings, they reached Erik's ears clearly.
"...Even the religious order doesn't order the adventurer guild around."
"How much money do we spend in the Empire anyway, why should we risk our lives here?"
Erik looked at one adventurer leading this flow.
'Someone with some standing?'
To Erik, all adventurers seemed worthless, but among them, a few with apparently high rank caught his eye.
Leading the conversation's atmosphere.
Guiding public opinion.
Riding that flow, one man walked boldly toward Erik.
"...Even if you're from the Astia Religious Order, you cannot force adventurers. Don't you know the covenant between the Imperial Family and the Adventurer's Guild?"
One mid-level adventurer finally began speaking words of defiance directly to Erik.
"Your name?"
"Argo of the Red Oath Clan, belonging to the Imperial Adventurer's Guild."
"I see, Argo. Are you serious?"
Erik calmly approached right up to Argo.
His massive height cast a shadow over Argo.
Erik's face looking down at Argo was peaceful, yet severely expressionless, and his shoulders twitching gave an odd feeling.
"U-under imperial law, adventurers in the labyrinth need not follow any group's orders!"
Argo invoked the supreme covenant of the Imperial Family as usual.
The covenant between the Adventurer King, pinnacle of adventurers, and the Empire's Emperor was never light.
"You know what?"
Erik's eyes turned cold.
Even with such an Erik, Argo somehow continued speaking his piece.
"I don't know what you mean, but the Adventurer's Guild will never follow unjust orders!"
Though frightened by Erik's reputation, Argo's eyes remained fixed on Erik.
They would not follow unjust orders.
The adventurer guild was created precisely to avoid being swayed by unreasonable power.
Toward such an Argo, Erik's words continued.
"The Astia Religious Order's pilgrims have authority to punish heretics beyond the constraints of nation and religion."
In this world, heretics meant black mages who worshipped labyrinths and demons.
Thus, Erik pronounced.
"Adventurers refusing to cooperate in a disaster situation in the labyrinth—seems quite connected to black mage groups that worship labyrinths."
***
A pilgrim and yet a saint.
Whichever took priority, it was clear Erik had summary execution authority.
However, the Adventurer's Guild was a massive organization spanning the Empire and Three Kingdoms, plus protecting the continent's largest demon realm.
Yet the adventurers ultimately had no choice but to follow Erik's words.
"...Fuck this."
"Why's it flowing like Riferoze's time?"
The great war from ten years ago, famous even among adventurers.
The Three Kingdoms Alliance attacked the Empire, and war began.
As the war intensified, one kingdom allied with black mages and committed indiscriminate slaughter.
The demons summoned then took countless lives.
"Heretics face execution."
Riferoze forcibly mobilized adventurers to handle the demon's minions.
The number of high-level adventurers executed on heresy charges then reached a hundred.
"Everyone shut up. Want to be impaled on that spear too?"
The current situation was similar.
On the tip of the imperial army's spear was impaled the head of mid-level adventurer Argo, and that spear was placed in the middle of the adventurers' camp.
'I'll have to file a formal complaint at headquarters.'
Lower-ranked adventurers didn't dare oppose Erik.
He simply muttered about heresy charges and cut off heads without interrogation, impaling them on spears...
"That side's weak, strengthen the defenses. 10 minutes left."
The imperial army, backed by that authority, began treating adventurers like servants.
Pent-up resentment erupted.
"Y-yes, yessir. Squad Leader, I'll follow orders."
Though the imperial army treating adventurers this way also violated the covenant, the adventurers had no choice but to lower their posture completely.
"Follow the imperial army's orders and stop the monster wave. Violators will face heresy charges."
Erik departed alone for the mountain peak to face 30 floor masters.
His words left behind would never be empty.
"Everyone hurry up!! 10 minutes left—!"
The imperial army composed of squad and company leaders pressed the adventurers.
And Company Commander Jasmine, having a moment's respite, met her husband who came up from the 2nd floor.
"Honey, please..."
"He touched my face—"
Having felt Erik's touch right before her eyes, Jasmine ignored her husband and kept reciting Erik's greatness.
'This is driving me crazy.'
Messi, also a company commander who followed Erik from the 2nd floor and Jasmine's husband, grimaced heavily.
It wasn't an affair but...
He felt somehow hurt.
"When he cut off that adventurer's head in one stroke, how satisfying it was—"
"W-well, that's true."
Yet it was hard to express such feelings.
Messi agreed with each of Jasmine's words.
'It was satisfying.'
The moment the labyrinth anomaly occurred, adventurers immediately gathered in party units and began fleeing.
Every man for himself!
While they pulled this shit and ran, from the imperial army's perspective, it was natural to be infuriated by that despicable sight.
Invoking the Imperial covenant saying 'what are you gonna do?', the imperial army couldn't do anything to the adventurers but.
"Honey, look at that spear—"
As Jasmine said, the adventurer's severed head brought satisfaction to all imperial soldiers.
"As expected of the saint... Under His Majesty's reign, having the religious order active is really good. Right?"
However, Seeing his half-crazed wife's eyes wasn't good for Messi.
So he changed the subject.
"The saint... how strong is he? You're a Sword Master, so you'd know, right?"
"As much as his face?"
"What?"
"As strong as he looks. Ahhh—"
Jasmine recalled Erik from close range once more.
That gentle touch removing dried blood from her cheek.
And that deep, pleasant voice telling her she could rest.
"...Ah, that brilliant countenance"
The wife closed her eyes in ecstasy.
The husband glaring at such a wife.
An awkward current formed between Messi and Jasmine.
Just as Messi opened his mouth to say something.
"Ahem, ahem. C-company commanders! The monster wave is coming now."
A platoon leader watching from the doorway delivered a report that could no longer be delayed.
""Let's go.""
The couple, as if nothing happened, gathered their weapons and headed to the outpost.
Though told to rest, how could imperial soldiers rest during a national crisis?
***
At the mountain peak was a crater.
Bubbles rose from the liquid filling it, beginning to form shapes one by one.
Erik took out the [Black Box] from his Inventory while waiting for the floor master's reset.
'Does this make sense?'
When he killed the 1st floor's floor master alone previously.
The box displayed the number 5, meaning a 5-pull was possible.
[150]
But this time, the number 150 was clearly visible.
'King and Queen are treated as one.'
Having defeated 30 pairs of 2nd floor floor masters, the reward also came in 30-fold.
Erik cleared his head for a change of mood.
'30 times the reward.'
He changed his mood soured by the adventurer bastards into thoughts about box pulls.
Good thoughts always bring good results.
'Does this mean Du-sik will do a 600-pull?'
That good thought was about box pulls through Jang Du-sik.
Defeating all floor masters of floors 2, 3, 4, and 5 would yield four [BlackBoxes] allowing 150 pulls each.
Using [Divine Blessing] on the consecrated Jang Du-sik—what would they obtain?
A smile curved Erik's lips.
'Seeing those adventurer bastards, I need to hurry.'
Of course, achieving this required Jang Du-sik to be alive.
The imperial army held out better than expected, but even that seemed difficult now.
Their force was sufficient to face floor masters, but they clearly reached their limit in the battle of attrition.
With the labyrinth resetting hourly and monster numbers increasing daily...
"Vicious."
Watching the 3rd floor floor masters taking shape before him, Erik frowned.
The 3rd floor with a lake had themes divided by area but.
'Murloc.'
Only one type of monster appeared.
Bipedal fish, murlocs.
From the name and appearance description they seemed comedic, and indeed in the game they were just low-level monsters you passed by, but.
'Fish as big as elephants.'
In reality, they became utterly horrific.
First, the bipedal fish grew enormously large.
Height-wise they were 3 meters, smaller than the Goblin King, but their width made them seem even larger.
'Disgusting.'
Their appearance was revolting.
Hairy human legs.
Upper body of a giant fish, with large human molars in the mouth.
Bubble!
Yet they made cute bubble-popping sounds.
'I'll erase them in one hit.'
Murloc Kings standing a full 3 meters tall.
Erik looked at the giant fish-men and flexed his wing bones.
Bang!
Responding to the skill motion, [Wings of Radiance] emerged and the mountain peak began bathing in golden light.
'As expected—'
Erik felt the wings' power.
He checked the [Wings of Radiance] abilities he directly experienced while killing calamity-grade demons.
'Divine power natural regeneration about 10 times faster, all damage amplified 500%.'
Replacing the absent system descriptions, he quantified the skill's performance himself.
Though seemingly meaningless in reality, Erik considered this very important.
'After this incident ends, I'll need the damage threshold to tackle the 33rd floor.'
The labyrinth anomaly would end when the current top floor, the 32nd floor, was conquered.
Erik had grounds to believe it, so he was confident the 32nd floor would be conquered.
The 33rd floor that would appear next was a high-difficulty section even in the game, which Erik kept in mind.
'The 33rd floor is hard without knowing the strategy.'
Well, thinking of the future when the current problem wasn't solved might seem reckless but.
'Master is on the labyrinth's top floor.'
The basis was Riferoze Astia.
Her existence was as good as certainty.
So the labyrinth's escape impossibility phenomenon and crazily increased monster numbers weren't big problems.
'The problem is Du-sik.'
Jang Du-sik was trapped on the 5th floor.
Unlike himself who recovered divine power with money, others had to use potions, and when potions ran out, wait for natural recovery.
Thirty days of continuous fighting exhausted even Sword Masters.
'Quick battle.'
Erik raised his hand.
[Meteor Shower] with attack power increased by [Wings of Radiance] effect appeared between the labyrinth ceiling.
Shaaaaaaaa!
Divine, shining shooting stars descended onto the mountain peak.
Baaaaang!!!
With a massive shockwave, the 3rd floor floor master vanished, and divine light began spreading down the mountain.
"Ahhh..."
Erik looked down to see thousands of people below staring at him.
As if looking at a god.
[The divine edifice has become slightly clearer.]