"Father, I'm back!" Aeolos, who had just suppressed his fear despite the menacing atmosphere, escorted the girls back home one by one before finally returning to his own house.
"I had such a day..." Aeolos was about to share his experiences with his father when he suddenly noticed his father's unusual appearance, and stood there, stunned.
"Dad, what's with the outfit?" Aeolos cautiously asked, looking at his father, who was dressed quite differently from usual.
Muria sat calmly on the sofa, wearing an impressive set of lightweight armor in alternating gold and blue. Next to him was a large bow and a bloodstained spear, and across his lap rested a long sword.
This strikingly different image sharply contrasted with Aeolos' memories of his father as a sophisticated man, usually sitting on the couch reading a book or newspaper. The sight felt strange to him.
"You're back." Noticing his son's gaze, Muria responded calmly. "Curious about this outfit, are you?"
Aeolos nodded eagerly. He couldn't deny that his curiosity was at an all-time high. Clearly, his father had been up to something, possibly just returning from an adventure.
"It's nothing much, really. I just went for a walk in the underground labyrinth near the city," Muria replied casually, enjoying his son's intrigued reaction.
"The underground labyrinth!" Aeolos' eyes lit up upon hearing his father's words. Even at school, he often heard stories about these labyrinths from the outside world.
According to his teachers, underground labyrinths were a unique feature of the Senaps subcontinent. Regardless of who or what someone was, entering one of these labyrinths could lead to an encounter that could change their destiny.
Weapons, equipment, secret arts, treasures, inheritances... Labyrinths were filled with endless possibilities. A simple adventurer could stumble upon a hidden legacy and rise to become a powerful figure.
The underground labyrinths were known as places where miracles were born. Since the discovery of the first one eleven years ago, countless low-level adventurers had drastically transformed their lives after venturing inside.
"Dad, is it true what they say? Are there really treasure-guarding monsters in the labyrinths? Can you obtain treasures by defeating them?" Aeolos asked eagerly.
"Half true," Muria responded with a calm tone. "The labyrinths are indeed full of monsters, but killing them doesn't always guarantee rewards. However, from the available information, if you manage to kill the labyrinth's strongest monster—the lord—you're sure to gain something valuable."
Seeing his son's growing excitement, Muria kept his tone steady. It was clear Aeolos was already deeply fascinated by the labyrinths.
This was understandable. For any creature unwilling to accept mediocrity, the labyrinths on the Senaps subcontinent were an irresistible temptation. It was through this lure that the post-war continent had rapidly recovered its population and resources in such a short period.
"Did you see the lord monster in the labyrinth you visited?" Aeolos asked.
"I did. A very powerful creature," Muria confirmed.
"How strong?"
"It could kill you with a single breath."
Aeolos grinned awkwardly at his father's exaggeration, but quickly followed up with another question. "Did you challenge the lord monster?"
"No, I didn't. I just took a look and left," Muria said nonchalantly. In truth, he hadn't challenged it but had a conversation with the creature and given it some instructions.
"Did you bring back anything from the labyrinth?" Aeolos asked eagerly.
"Of course I did. I wouldn't leave a labyrinth empty-handed." Muria smiled and pulled out a small, semi-transparent talisman from his pocket, placing it on the table.
"What's this?" Aeolos' curiosity was piqued again. He approached to examine the talisman.
"It's an unidentified talisman. I'm not sure what it does yet, but I'll take it to an appraiser at the auction house for identification." Muria slapped Aeolos' hand away before he could touch it. "Don't go handling unknown items from the labyrinth. That's common sense. Didn't your teachers tell you that?"
"They did," Aeolos said sheepishly, pulling his hand back. In school, they were taught that items from labyrinths could be valuable treasures, rare legacies, or even cursed objects.
"So don't touch it!" Muria reprimanded.
"But you touched it, Dad!" Aeolos protested.
"Am I the same as you?" Muria shot his son a glance. "I can have a conversation with the labyrinth's lord monster, while you can't even enter its gates."
"Heh," Aeolos scratched his head, thinking his father was bragging. "Anyone can enter a labyrinth, though. There's no restriction!"
"The entrance might have no restrictions, but surviving the labyrinth is another story. You may get in, but you also need to make it out alive. A single weak monster could take on five of you," Muria retorted, giving his son a dismissive look.
Without his seal, Aeolos might have been able to attempt the labyrinth. But with his current strength, even if he was close to breaking into the Silver rank, charging into the labyrinth would get him crushed by the monsters.
Three days later, in the dead of night, Aeolos quietly sneaked downstairs, wearing his sleepwear, and began searching the living room.
Earlier that day, Muria had received the appraisal report for the talisman from the labyrinth. Aeolos had secretly read it. According to the appraiser, the talisman was just a simple lighting talisman.
In Saint Flame City, where magical light was already widespread, a lighting talisman was practically useless, which was why his father had casually tossed it into a drawer.
But Aeolos didn't believe it. He had a strong feeling that this talisman was more than just a lighting tool, despite having no solid evidence for his hunch.
"Got it!" Following the impression from earlier, Aeolos soon found the talisman emitting a faint white glow. He grabbed it and snuck back to his room.
"What's so special about this talisman?" Aeolos sat on his bed, fiddling with the talisman. Though frustrated that he couldn't find anything unusual, his gut told him it wasn't as simple as it seemed.
"Could it be some hidden legacy?" Aeolos speculated excitedly. He had heard countless stories of inheritances hidden within ordinary items, only to be activated by the right person.
As Aeolos concentrated on examining the diamond-shaped talisman, a red light appeared on its surface. The red light quickly spread, covering the entire talisman, turning its white glow into crimson.
Startled, Aeolos instinctively wanted to toss the talisman away. But the transformation happened so quickly that before he could react, the talisman burst into an even brighter light, engulfing his small body.
A moment later, with a "bang," a small figure appeared out of nowhere in a dark, narrow space. The soft white light from his hand dispelled the surrounding darkness.
"What's going on?" Aeolos stood up, feeling the cold, damp ground beneath him. He looked around in confusion, trying to figure out why he was no longer in his warm, cozy room but in this grim place.
The air was terrible, filled with the stench of rot and blood, making Aeolos, who had lived in comfort, feel extremely uncomfortable.
Before he could react, a chilling presence approached from behind. Relying on the techniques he had practiced at school, Aeolos swiftly dodged to the side.
As he moved, Aeolos caught sight of what had attacked him—a translucent, green-glowing, twisted-faced woman.
"A ghost!" Aeolos quickly recognized the creature as a low-level undead monster, something he had seen before at school. But this time, there were no teachers around to protect him.
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