The labyrinth only grew crazier the deeper we went. Crystals lined the walls, pulsing with an inner light that lay dormant within them. Each step forward made the air hum with a faint, ethereal whisper. It was almost beautiful.
Almost.
"This place goes on forever!" I muttered without thinking, my voice fracturing and bouncing back at me from half a dozen directions. I felt like I was losing my mind! Surely, I was!
Behind me, the elf walked with calm, measured steps, her eyes glued to the crystals on the walls, her greatsword still gleaming in the multi-colored light. Speaking of which—I didn't even know her name. Though how could I ask that? She was my supposed wife; that'd be weird! Too late to pull the amnesia act now, too…
Whatever, now's not the time to worry about that—let's just get this mission over with!
"Simple mission objective: save a few unfortunate schmucks that got lost here. Easy, right? You got this, Takuta!" The words left my mouth as naturally as I thought them, trying to psych myself up in these trying times.
She glanced over my shoulder, a flicker of concern in her eyes. "You're talking to yourself again."
"Oh, uh, yeah—just still kinda dizzy from the fall is all!" That was a lie. In truth, I felt no fatigue from the incident that happened… still, it was a useful excuse, so I played it off with a smile.
She frowned at my words, her hand grabbing onto mine with gentle but firm force. "We need to get you to a healer as soon as we're back!"
Her sudden firm tone caught me off guard; my brow furrowed with confusion. "What? No, you don't have to do that—"
"I insist!" Her face was inches away from mine, her gleaming emerald eyes almost blinding this close.
"W-well… alright, fine then." I tried to laugh it off, but she didn't even crack a smile. Figures—
***
[Objective nearby!]
This had been flickering in my face for the past ten minutes. And yet—
"I swear I've seen that same jagged bunch of purple crystals before," I murmured, pointing at a rather unmistakable formation.
She stopped and swept her gaze around the chamber, her expression turning just as exasperated as mine. "We're just walking in circles…"
Great—just perfect.
I practically threw myself onto my ass, my back pressed against the labyrinth wall.
"Darling, are you alright?!" She looked at me, concerned, as I crossed my arms, going into deep thought.
"I know it seems hopeless, but you've got me here! You don't have to worry about anything, okay?!"
The kind words she told me only got more lost the more I tried to focus. Come on, think, think—we've tried so many paths till now, yet they all lead back here somehow!
By the time we get there, it might be too late!
"Darling? Please stand up—"
"Wait… this labyrinth, it also serves as a goblin's nest, doesn't it?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them, a fragment of knowledge from countless hours spent in front of a screen. Her words died on her tongue as she nodded, a hint of surprise and confusion in her eyes.
"It does. Their kind favors these twisting places."
Well, if that was true—and if my otaku education had taught me anything—it was that the most worn-out path was always the right one.
My eyes scanned the entrance of each tunnel, finally catching what I'd missed: a barely perceptible trail scratched into the stone, leading down a side tunnel that looked far less glamorous than the others.
"Here!" I announced, pointing down the path with newfound confidence.
"Are you sure?" she asked, skepticism and worry heavy in her words.
"Trust me!"
Before she could even sigh, I was already down the path, giving her no choice but to follow. It took a few tense turns, but the tunnel opened into a dead-end chamber sealed by a heavy, rune-covered stone door.
"Locked…" A groan left my lips as I tried the door. The system pinged again, more insistently this time.
[Objective within this area!]
"Whatever—or whoever it is, it's just behind here."
The elf stepped forward, brushing past me.
"Wait—what are you doing? Didn't you see it won't budge? You can't just—" I stammered, imagining her breaking something or shattering the door into millions of pieces.
Click.
The runes glowed a deep blue at her touch, and she simply pushed; the massive door creaked open as if it weighed nothing at all.
"What?" she said, tilting her head in genuine confusion.
Beyond her, the chamber was revealed, and my blood ran cold at the sight. It was covered in thick, glistening webs that shone under the dim light like vile tapestry. Shapes struggled inside them—pale, humanoid forms.
I froze, my bravado evaporating.
"Right, I shouldn't interfere—she knows this world better than me after all. I'm fine with not being the hero," I whispered to myself, a mantra of self-preservation.
The elf's knuckles tightened on the hilt of her sword, her body coiling into a combat stance.
"I've got this, darling!" she reassured, stepping forward—but I instantly pulled her back.
"What are you doing?! Look!" I snapped, pointing into the room. The light from the path faintly revealed strings lining the whole area—a trap waiting to happen!
"If you touch any of those wires, we're as good as dead!" Her eyes widened when she saw them, stepping back immediately. Those poor adventurers probably didn't notice them in time either—
Without entering, I stood by the door, casting a small fire spell. The flames spread along the strings, roaring to life as they burned the webs and spread to the ones holding the captives.
"I didn't mean to do that!" I cried.
The elf immediately darted past me and straight for the web.
"Be careful!"
She swung her heavy blade; the silk around the trapped adventurers fell away, coming undone around her. The whole room began to shake as the vibration from the severed webs reached the spider.
It crawled out of the shadows, its many eyes locking onto the elf immediately.
Its limbs raised to the sky as it cried out in a horrid display, the door slamming shut behind us as if on purpose. I looked around desperately for an escape, but I was only met with the bones and corpses of goblins, their skin long melted from the spider's acid.
The creature was a nightmare given form. Its bloated, obsidian body scraped against the cavern ceiling, each of its eight legs ending in a barbed point that clicked sharply against the stone. A single, blood-red stripe ran down its carapace, and venom dripped from glistening fangs that looked capable of shearing through steel.
My wife didn't flinch. She met its gaze, her own emerald eyes narrowing into slits of cold fury.
"Stay at the door, Light," she commanded, her voice low and devoid of its usual softness. It was the voice of a warrior who had faced death countless times.
The spider lunged—not with a clumsy charge, but with terrifying speed, its front legs scything toward her in a bladed pincer movement. My heart leaped into my throat, but the elf was already moving. She dropped into a slide, the greatsword held parallel to the ground, skidding beneath the attack. As she passed under its bulk, the blade shrieked against the chitin of its legs, spraying acrid green fluid.
The monster shrieked, a sound like grinding stones, and whipped around. Its abdomen pulsed, and a thick, white web shot from its spinneret—not at my wife, but at the ceiling above her. The web solidified instantly into a glistening net, dropping down to ensnare her.
"Look out!" I screamed, my voice cracking.
She was already a step ahead. Planting her feet, she spun on the spot, a whirlwind of silver hair and polished steel. Her greatsword became a blur—a fan of deadly light that shredded the falling net into harmless, drifting tufts of silk. She didn't wait for the next attack. With a guttural cry, she launched herself forward, closing the distance.
The spider reared back, trying to impale her with its forelegs. She parried one strike with a shower of sparks, the impact echoing through the chamber, and ducked under the second. This was her opening. She put all her weight into a single, upward sweep of her sword. The blade bit deep into the soft joint where the leg met the body.
A horrific screech filled the air as the leg, now severed, clattered to the floor, twitching. The spider stumbled back, its movements becoming erratic and enraged. It was then that its many eyes flickered from my wife... to me.
Oh no.
Before I could even process the thought, it abandoned its assault on her and scuttled sideways with shocking agility, its path taking it straight toward the doorway where I stood frozen.
"Darling!" my wife's voice was raw with panic.
The spider was almost on me, its fangs dripping, its remaining legs poised to skewer me. I didn't know what to do, my breath racing the closer it approached.
[Danger, danger!]
It rang in my mind over and over.
I thrust my hands out—not with any formal technique, but with pure, desperate will, hoping something would come out and save me! I focused every ounce of my being, every point of my raw 200 mana, but what came out was not flame, nor wind, just a sphere of pure, unadulterated illuminance.
It erupted from my palms like a missile. Though it didn't collide like an attack, it remained so intense it bleached the color from the world, reflecting off the crystalline walls and the glistening webs, magnifying its effect a hundredfold.
The spider recoiled, shaking its head as though to dispel the sudden burst of light. That was all the opening she needed. My wife dashed forward, even with the weight of the greatsword holding her back.
She was a streak of vengeful silver. Leaping onto its bucking back, she used the red stripe on its carapace as a guide. She raised her greatsword high with both hands, the crystal light of the cavern glinting along its flawless edge.
Her grunts of effort rang through the cave as she plunged the blade into the creature's abdomen.
The spider's thrashing intensified for one last, violent moment—and then ceased altogether. Its legs buckled, and its massive body crashed to the stone floor with a final, ground-shaking thud. The cavern fell silent, save for the ragged sound of my own breathing and the soft drip... drip... of water.
My wife stood upon the carcass, her chest heaving, her blade buried in her kill. She yanked it free and turned to me, her expression shifting from battle-fury to profound relief. She leaped down and was at my side in an instant, her hands on my shoulders.
"You aren't hurt at all, are you?!" she asked, her eyes filled with worry even as I reassured her.
She let out a breath I didn't realize she was holding and pulled me into a tight, sudden embrace. The scent of goblin blood, iron, and her unique floral fragrance filled my senses.
I stood there, wrapped in her arms, surrounded by the evidence of our victory, as a new screen flickered before my eyes.
[Quest Updated: Rescue the Lost Souls]
[Objective: Free the Captured Adventurers]
[Bonus Objective Completed: Slay the Weaver of Webs]
[Reward: 3,000 Gold Coins // +100 EXP // Title Unlocked: "Tactical Support"]
[Skill Unlocked!]