Chapter 84: Chapter 84 - Labyrinth(Part 1)

Point-of-View: Argent Stryker

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"Here, put this on. It’s not in the best of shape, but it is clean," I remarked, as I dug through my bag and pulled out an outfit.

It was a plain black t-shirt that was a bit tattered, and knee-length shorts with a slight rip by the left hip. Good thing I decided to bring my backpack with me.

I figured I might as well, just in case something happens and I end up spending more time in the Labyrinth that I’d initially planned for. I had water bottles and a few canned food in there, as well as some clothes.

This is a good reminder that I need to get some new clothes. I’ve been using a cheap leather armor outfit and some old clothes I’d taken from my home before I left, but the armor is in pretty rough shape at this point and my clothes are starting to feel a bit tight.

"I see no need for these, but it’s clear that my body is a source of distraction for you, so I’ll oblige," She replied, as she grudgingly put on the clothes.

Okay, so she did notice me staring. She pulled the t-shirt over her head, which was a bit big for her, almost going down to her knees. She tore a couple of spots on the back for her wings to poke out of, and then added another one for her tail. She then put on the shorts...but they fell off right away.

"U-uh, here, you can use this belt to secure it around your waist," I suggested, as I handed her my spare belt.

"This is too much trouble, isn’t this fabric enough on its own?" She frowned, as she flapped and fluttered the end of the t-shirt.

"N-no, it’s not, you have to wear something on your lower half too," I protested immediately, trying my hardest not to look...but, uh, yeah, I definitely snuck a couple of peeks.

"Fine, then you put it on, I’ve never worn clothing before, so I don’t know how to use this belt thing," She responded, as she tossed it back to me along with the shorts.

H-huh? She wants me to put it on her? Seriously?

"Alright, I-I’ll do it, okay? Um, here, put your legs through...," I muttered awkwardly, as I walked over and knelt down.

She’s pretty short, and really slender too, no wonder it didn’t fit. As she put her feet through the pant legs, I pulled it up and then put the belt through the loops as I got it upto her waist, keeping my gaze downwards to avoid getting a look at her.

I then fastened the belt to its tightest spot, just barely enough to keep it secure around her waist. It was still hanging a bit loosely around her, but it shouldn’t fall off unless it’s given a strong tug or something.

"I feel so restricted...," She grumbled apprehensively, as she rotated her shoulder and lifted her knee up.

"You’ll get used to it. Well, anyway...I need to go into the Labyrinth now, you can come with me, or wait out here if you want," I suggested, as I stood up and took a deep breath to compose myself.

That was so nerve-wracking, I’m glad it’s over. My chest is still pounding a bit...I can’t stop thinking about it. Her skin was a lot smoother to the touch than it looks-...okay, focus, I’m on a quest here, can’t afford to get distracted.

"Well, I did agree to accompany you, so I suppose I’ll come with you. How far down do you plan to go?" She inquired curiously.

"Oh, this is my first time in a Labyrinth, so I won’t go any further than the tenth floor," I replied with a shrug.

"I see."

We then headed into the Labyrinth, a slight sense of nervousness about me as I entered. The entrance led into a long corridor, and as we got to the end of it, reached a staircase leading downwards.

We made our way down the stairs, finding ourselves in a vast cave-like structure, full of long, winding and forking paths, and rough, slightly narrow pillars from the ground to the ceiling. The area was lit up by glowing blue crystals on the ceiling, and I could see markers carved into the walls.

"Initiate Skill: Radar," I chanted quietly, focusing as I activated it at a two kilometer range.

Hm...I’m not sensing any Monsters within this range. Guess that makes sense, since the Knights were here for several months.

"Tell me, what’s being going on over the last one hundred and fifty years or so? I believe that’s how long I was in this Labyrinth, though I spent a lot of that time hibernating in the lower floors, so I’m not sure exactly how long it’s been.

I would usually hide whenever I sensed humans, but I suppose I began letting my guard down after a few decades, I didn’t expect them to come that far down," She remarked with a frown, as I began heading into one of the paths.

I’ll follow the markers that’ll lead me to the second floor, maybe I’ll find more Monsters there. This quest might be tougher than I thought, I expected there to be a lot more Monsters teeming around in here.

"Oh, you’ve been in here for that long? Well, let’s see...a hundred and fifty years ago, a huge war was taking place. That ended about a hundred and thirty years ago or so, and the humans divided up based on Attribute, there’s the Dark Continent and the Light Continent, with the Dead Zone in between them.

Minor skirmishes have been taking place ever since then, but there haven’t been any large scale battles. Most Demi-Human races are extinct, the few that remain are endangered, and...," I began, before continuing and explaining the state of the world and the events that led to the current situation.

"How foolish," She scoffed as I finished my explanation, before adding, "Fighting amongst your own kind for a reason as arbitrary as Attribute. Well, since I don’t possess an Attribute, maybe it’s beyond my understanding."

Right, the main distinction between Monsters and humans, plus Demi-Humans, is that Monsters have a set number of abilities that are fueled by their Mana, while Humans and Demi-Humans possess Attributes, Skills and Soul Weapons, which Monsters don’t have.

That said, I don’t know much about Dragons and Demons, since none have been seen in several decades. Well, Demons are thought to be completely extinct, but it is possible that there are some that still exist in hiding.

As for Dragons, regular Dragons are unintelligent Monsters that have a Threat Level of Catastrophic Grade and occasionally appear in areas outside of Labyrinths, there aren’t any inside the Labyrinths.

The Dragon Kings, of which there are four, are considered the strongest beings in the world, and are all apparently alive, though they’ve been hiding or in hibernation.

She mentioned that one of her parents was a Dragon King, and since her other parent is apparently the Demon Lord, she’s probably really powerful.

"So, are you the only Half-Dragon, Half-Demon that exists? Or are there others?" I asked her curiously.

"As far as I’m aware, I’m the only one. I don’t actually remember my mother, my father is the one who raised me. But the humans created a powerful sealing Magic Item that could seal away even the most powerful Demons. The majority of Demons could be overwhelmed by a large number of humans, but my father and his four Demon Generals were too powerful to be defeated simply by outnumbering them.

After one of the Generals was sealed away, my father told me to take the appearance of a human and hide in a Labyrinth. I don’t know what happened after that, but seeing as humans are the dominant species of the world in the present, it’s likely that my father and the other three Demon Generals were also sealed away," She informed me.

"I had no idea, guess that’s not in the history books," I mused thoughtfully.

I’ve asked dad about the intelligent, powerful Monster races since I was kinda fascinated by them, but he didn’t know much about them at all. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"My father believed that the sealing Magic Item required approximately ten thousand human sacrifices in order to be powerful enough to seal away a high level Demon like himself and the four Generals," She replied with a shrug.

So about fifty thousand people were sacrificed to seal away those five Demons? Yeah, I can see that happening.

"Wait, back up a second...you mentioned that you were told to take the appearance of a human by your father. You can do that?" I responded in surprise.

"Hm? Yes, but I can only do so for about five hours a day, and while I’m in that form, my physical strength and other abilities are much weaker," She answered apprehensively.

"Didn’t you say earlier than you’ve never worn clothes before? How’d you pass for a human without wearing anything?" I inquired curiously.

"I wore a robe like the one the humans you called Knights put on me."

Yeah, that makes more sense. Hm?

"I’m sensing some Monsters...three of them in that direction, about two kilometers away," I remarked, as I locked onto them.

They’re too far to sense in detail, so I can’t tell if they’re Orcs or not, especially since I’ve never encountered one before. Well, technically, I haven’t encountered any Labyrinth Monsters before, since, you know, I’ve never been in a Labyrinth before. Alright, let’s see if these Monsters are any tougher than the Monsters I’ve encountered outside...

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