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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Conquest
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"Impossible! It's only been a few days, and he's already succumbed to mana poisoning…!"
The reason the Labyrinth was an object of fear.
The reason intelligent species could only live within their territories.
The reason only crawlers who had given up on life dared to roam its depths.
A fate more terrible than death for those who failed to cleanse themselves of mana contamination with purified water.
Their faces twisted as they watched Chubaba, who had lost his intellect and become a monster.
To see him devoured by the Labyrinth was, for his fellow intelligent beings, an utterly loathsome and terrifying sight.
'…As I thought, the mana contamination has accumulated to an excessive degree.'
Amid the chaos, Pandora assessed the situation with relative calm.
Chubaba, a high-level Awakened who had hunted many monsters throughout the festival and distinguished himself in the defense, was no exception.
The result of fleeing without purified water after so much mana contamination had built up was this: he had wandered the Labyrinth and been consumed by its mana.
It was hardly surprising.
This was the Labyrinth.
A place where even the greatest Awakened,
or heroes who had achieved legendary feats,
could be reduced to mere monsters or become a meal for them.
What mattered now was that to protect the Monstrous Tree Farm, they had to stop the mutated Chubaba.
"Everyone, keep your distance!"
"We don't know what abilities the mutant might have!"
"While the forest spiders and slave soldiers hold the monsters back, we'll use the queen forest spider and the large forest spiders to take down the mutant!"
Perhaps because everyone sensed the urgency of the situation,
they responded swiftly to Arsha's commands despite the confusion.
While the slaves erected a barricade, the spider familiars closed in on Chubaba from all sides.
Even for a high-level Awakened,
Chubaba was ultimately a 3-star class.
Against a 3-star queen forest spider and several 2-star large forest spiders, the difference in power was clear.
Normally, the fight should have been over in an instant, but…
*CRASH!*
'…As I suspected, he has grown stronger.'
With a single swing of his axe, Chubaba cleaved a large forest spider in two.
And the spiders that attacked him began to sprout mushrooms and mold all over their bodies.
Pandora sighed at the fierce battle.
Mana poisoning was the worst of curses, but it also meant accepting an immense amount of corrupted mana, enough to turn one into a monster.
The result was the Chubaba before them now.
In exchange for his intellect, he had become a monster with enhanced strength, power, and regeneration.
All his abilities had improved across the board.
Coupled with the trait that infected his attackers with mushrooms and mold, it was no exaggeration to say he was several times stronger than before.
He alone was enough to shatter their defensive line.
'…Still, they are fighting surprisingly well.'
From that perspective,
the Monstrous Tree Farm was holding out remarkably well.
Arsha's sharp command and the efforts of the slave soldiers, who seemed to have experienced countless battles like this one.
Above all, the meticulous barrier and the difference in mana contamination density allowed them to fight beyond their limits.
But…
*a, AA, aAAa.*
A deep,
clear,
yet primitive echo reverberated around the Monstrous Tree Farm.
The movements of the desperately fighting familiars and slave soldiers fell into disarray.
The number of monsters had suddenly doubled, even tripled.
Their vision twisted and warped, throwing them into confusion.
"Illusion magic?"
"Hartri! You too…!"
They quickly realized the cause.
Hartri, the Demonkin [Illusionist] who had fled with Chubaba when Ka attacked.
She was still captivating, but her once-white skin had turned leaf-like, and the whites of her four eyes had vanished.
Above all, her illusions were far more powerful than before, telling them everything they needed to know.
Like Chubaba, she too had been devoured by the Labyrinth.
And they were not the only two who had been turned.
Appearing with Hartri were a dozen other participants, each twisted or broken in some way.
They had been low-level Awakened, but as mutants, they were now stronger, mixed in among the other monsters.
'So, this is the end.'
Pandora watched.
She watched the slave soldiers fighting for their lives.
She watched Arsha, firing her bow faster and faster as she issued commands.
She watched Leah, Chavera, and the rest of the Hara clan, their faces growing paler as their familiars fell.
And she watched the barricades and the defensive line crumble despite their desperate struggle.
Having observed it all in silence, she was certain.
The Monstrous Tree Farm had reached its limit.
The two mutated, high-level Awakened were more than enough to tip the already precarious balance.
The monsters that broke through the line and began to climb the Monstrous Tree Farm were proof of that.
'…It was a promise that could not be kept, after all.'
That she wouldn't have to step in.
No, that he would make it so she wouldn't have to.
She recalled Dion's words, yet she felt no sense of betrayal.
She was used to it.
People who made grand pronouncements,
who swore solemn oaths,
only to ultimately force her to act because they couldn't handle things themselves.
…Just as all her adoptive fathers had.
It was inevitable.
She was a witch.
A being too ominous and dangerous to be left in peace.
Yet, why did this particular end feel so bitter?
Pandora did not dwell on it.
She simply raised her hand.
To remove the blindfold covering her eyes.
*Kureuk?*
Was it due to the heightened senses gained from losing his intellect?
Even in the heat of battle, Chubaba must have instinctively sensed the danger, for he flinched and halted his axe.
No, it wasn't just Chubaba.
From Hartri and the other mutants to the frantically charging monsters,
to the slave soldiers fighting them, and even the familiars controlled by the Hara clan,
everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Pandora.
And just as Pandora was about to finally remove her blindfold before them all,
"Stop."
*THWACK!*
"…"
Leaping down from the command post, she stomped on a monster that had just placed its foreleg on the veranda.
The dark elf who drove an arrow into its brow looked straight at her.
"I do not know what you intend to do, but it is too soon to give up."
"…Do you still believe the White-Masked Young Master can save you?"
"Yes."
"And why is that?"
Pandora could not understand.
This was an elf, a being who must have lived a long life and experienced countless failures and disappointments.
Why did she maintain such unwavering faith in Dion, able to declare it so firmly?
Arsha's reply was simple.
"Because that is my duty."
"…"
As a vassal.
As a clan chief.
And above all, as a bride.
It was only natural to trust and follow her lord, her benefactor, her husband.
As the witch, who had lived so short a life yet already trusted no one, fell silent before the ancient yet pure and noble elf,
*Flutter.*
"…?"
"…!"
—A black crow flew in.
Crows landed everywhere—on the monsters clinging to the Monstrous Tree Farm, on the crown of Chubaba's head as he swung his axe, on Hartri's shoulder.
As Pandora froze and Arsha's eyes widened at the sight of the crows,
their bodies began to swell rapidly, and…
*BOOOOM!*
Hartri, along with countless monsters and mutants, was sent flying.
A sudden, unexpected turn of events.
Yet, as a strange sense of déjà vu washed over everyone at the Monstrous Tree Farm, they all looked up.
A boy in a half-mask, who had appeared before Arsha at some point, smiled brightly.
"Sorry, am I a little late?"
"…No, you've arrived just in time."
"Really? For someone who arrived on time, your pretty face is quite a mess."
Dion chuckled, wiping a splash of blood from Arsha's smooth cheek.
Arsha quietly accepted his touch with a faint smile.
Pandora watched them, so carefree as if they had forgotten the dire situation.
Arsha asked calmly.
"Have you finished your conquest of the Labyrinth?"
"No, unfortunately, I haven't caught the last one yet. That's why I'm here."
"By that, you mean…"
"You've been discovered. Why don't you come out now?"
Dion slowly turned his head.
He looked toward the far side of the forest, a place with no ground or sky, covered only by giant trees and leaves.
No, to be precise, he was looking at the shadow hidden within.
"—Rashanta."
And so, as Dion softly spoke the shadow's name,
the true master of the Labyrinth finally revealed itself.
***
A boss-class monster.
A term for a monster possessing power greater than the Labyrinth's grade.
Considering the vast difference in power between grades, boss monsters were bound to be special.
Among them, some bosses that had consumed much prey and absorbed immense amounts of corrupted mana over a long time would mutate and grow even stronger.
These were the 'Named.'
Unique monsters, far stronger than others of their class, possessing distinct traits.
For this reason, most Awakened avoided fighting Named monsters.
A mutated Named monster's traits were a complete unknown, making them excessively dangerous even if they were of a lower class.
A serpent whose heads multiplied with every one severed.
A lion impervious to any blade.
A bison that turned you to stone with a gaze.
There were countless monsters that could kill you if you didn't know how to fight them.
But even a Named monster was not the most fearsome.
For unlike the Named, who were products of acquired mutation, the Labyrinth held beings that were innately unique from birth.
Guardians and rulers created by the Labyrinth to protect itself.
The true masters of the Labyrinth.
'Dungeon Bosses.'
"…What is that thing?"
"Good heavens…"
And in that moment,
everyone at the Monstrous Tree Farm realized it.
The bosses and mutants that had attacked them were, in this Labyrinth, nothing more than prey.
A body the size of a house.
A camouflaged shell.
Scythe-like forelegs.
A large flower bud carried on its back.
Too massive to be an insect, too grotesque to be a flower.
Dion grinned as he looked at the mantis hanging upside down from above, a tangled mess of blood vessels and vines.
"You were so hard to find. It's good to finally meet you."
[Cunning Stone Monkey 'Moru'], defeated by poisoning it during the fight.
[Starving Great Serpent 'Ka'], which was nearly immortal but killed by starvation after a battle of attrition.
And the third one.
Of the four Named bosses in this [Hunter's Forest], Dion had dispatched three with little difficulty.
But the last one,
[King of Hunters 'Rashanta'], was not so easy.
It had realized Dion was secretly hunting them and turned the tables, using the mutants to hunt him in return.
It had planned to ambush him if he approached without noticing its trap.
A born hunter, indeed.
A tactic worthy of the most cunning and ruthless dungeon boss in the Hunter's Forest.
"Arsha, you can hold out, right?"
"Leave it to us."
"Good. I'm counting on you."
Arsha answered without hesitation.
She had realized it the moment she saw it.
Rashanta was not an opponent that even Dion could fight while distracted.
This meant the Monstrous Tree Farm had to hold on by itself until Rashanta was defeated.
Considering their already dire situation, it was a harsh demand, but…
There was no hesitation in Arsha's eyes.
This was not something they could do, but something they *had* to do.
It was Dion's request.
"So, Pandora, you trust us too and watch until the end."
"…"
"Watch how we fight."
In stark contrast to Arsha,
Dion didn't press Pandora for an answer as she merely gazed at him.
Her silence was enough. He leaped outside.
And so, Dion swung toward Rashanta, gripping a spider thread that shot out from his gauntlet.
Arsha resumed her command.
Pandora watched them in silence.
The final chapter of their battle to protect the Monstrous Tree Farm had begun.
*『Achievement: Vile Hunter』*
*『Achievement: The Only Good Mutant is a Dead Mutant』*
*『Special effect of [Blood Star] activates.』*
*『Plundering 2-Star Class [Dancer]』*
*『Plundering 1-Star Class [Scribe]』*
*『Plundering Racial Trait [Charm (Un)]』*
*『[Black Mage]☆☆☆ Lv6』*
*『[Thief]☆☆ Lv8→ Lv9』*
*『[Beast Tamer]☆☆ Lv8→ Lv9』*
*『[Pyromancer]☆☆ Lv4→ Lv6』*
*『[Berserker]☆☆ Lv3→ Lv4』*
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