(Paul POV)
I stand by my point—this Labyrinth is different. To put it simply, it's the most chaotic mess of a dungeon I have ever stepped into.
There is no discernible pattern, no balanced system—just a bizarre patchwork of layers stacked haphazardly together into a single, convoluted nightmare. After the first floor, which I personally call the Undead Zone, we pushed forward through an assortment of biomes over the course of three grueling days.
After the first floor came a volcanic one, where massive serpentine creatures swam effortlessly through rivers of molten lava.
Then, a cavern filled with powerful winds and rotating stone pillars, home to avian beasts the size of horses, their metallic feathers light but razor-sharp.
Next, we entered a mirrored cave, its walls and floors reflecting endlessly in a blinding light, guarded by crystal golems that could only be slain by striking the black pearl embedded in their chests.
What followed was a desert with a fake sun burning from the ceiling, poisonous lizards roaming the dune with their bulging eyes, and their thin feet carried them around as quickly as the transportation lizard Roxy and the other came to the hut with.
As if that wasn't weird, there was even a swamp floor, and slime monsters who imitated other monsters ruled those murky waters.
There was even a frost-ridden biome, stalked by monstrous, humanoid wolves clad in ice armor, each bearing two sets of arms and tails.
Roxy and Ruijerd identified the creatures as Fenris Wolves—S-rank monsters from the Demon Continent. While they usually have six legs and two fiery tails, this variant wielded ice, causing freezing wounds with clawed strikes. The battle was brutal; even as three of us fought, we struggled to hold our ground, and Zenith had to heal us quickly before the frost worsened our injuries.
All of this—a creation born from the imagination of an awakened Blessed Child. I might have been impressed if this weren't the same place where my son was imprisoned.
But luck was finally on our side. We stumbled upon a floor unlike any of the horrors before it—one where the monsters were not hostile in the slightest.
This floor was covered in glowing tree roots—thick, luminescent veins stretching across the walls, the ceiling, and the ground beneath our feet. At the center of it all stood an immense tree, its golden light pulsating, breathing life into the entire space. From its mighty trunk, the roots extended outward in all directions, weaving the very fabric of this sanctuary.
The creatures here? Humanoid treants, docile and intent on tending to the tree, maintaining its branches and roots with quiet diligence. For the first time since entering this labyrinth, we were met not with aggression, but with peace.
Near the tree's base, we discovered an abundance of fruit—ripe, nourishing, and entirely edible. As if aware of our presence, the great tree extended its branch-like limbs, offering us food the moment we stood near it.
Was this Rudy's intention? To create something beneficial? Until now, we had faced nothing but terrifyingly strong monsters, as if his untamed imagination had run rampant with no limits set on it. And yet, this place… this was something different.
A rare moment of respite in an otherwise unforgiving nightmare. Has my son hidden a dark side to himself I never knew existed?
"I never thought I would experience the day where I would enjoy such sweet fruit on this continent," Roxy said as she munched on a purple grape the size of an apple.
"This place is boring," Eris grumbled, an opposite behavior to Roxy.
Going against her promise, she did leave her position as a defender for our support members and headed for the monsters against our advice a handful of times. Ghislaine used to do that back in the day, so Elinalise and Zenith could handle her stepping out of line... most of the time.
The girl had the stubborn attitude of her grandfather and a childlike sense of adventure. If she wasn't so talented with the sword, she would have died every time she broke formation.
"But still, to think there could even be a place like this. Amazing."
Zenith, who still admired nature, had the most gleaming smile upon arriving at this place. A garden that maintains itself doesn't really fit her hobby since it takes the work out of it, but it's still a spectacle for her to witness.
The Treants, basically four-meter-tall slender tree people, have been acknowledging her worthiness for her admiration by gifting her with a red flower with curly petals and strands that made it look like a spider, which Zenith was actually afraid to take.
And to not upset the Treants, she took the flower, but with a pale face, she hid it in her bag the moment it turned away, which was kinda funny to see.
"I'm more concerned as to how many more floors we'll be going through."
Elinalise is right. There is no telling how many floors this place has, especially with Rudy's blessing creating more as we speak.
"If I paid attention to the layout correctly," Roxy began saying as she wiped her mouth clean. "Then this Laybrinth is going in a spiral instead of a straight line."
"In other words, we're not that deep underground than we thought?" Ruijerd asked.
"The floors themselves are still each enormous," Ruijerd commented. "We might not even be in the same region at this point."
"Could it be that this entire Labyrinth is just bigger on the inside?"
My question left everyone stunned, their eyes glued on me.
"I mean, at this point, barely anything speaks against it. Nothing here makes sense whatsoever, to begin with. Even the first floor was said to change constantly."
The silence stretched, the weight of my words sinking in. The others exchanged glances as if trying to weigh the validity of my statement.
"I mean, it can only be ruled as a possibility," Roxy said.
"She is right," Ruijerd agreed. "Even Laplace with his knowledge made impossible tasks seem achievable. I wouldn't doubt that the boy's blessing could do just that."
That makes things even more unsettling. If Rudy truly can bend space to his will, what else could he be capable of?
What also unsettles me is what will happen after we save him. Blessed Children are rare, and the authorities will take those who turn out to be useful.
I was thinking about it, but Ghislaine estimating my strength gave me the idea that I could go to the Holy Lands of Swords and gain the title of a Sword King or even Emperor to make people think twice before messing with my family. It would go against what I tried to teach Rudy, but I don't have many options.
With no one to lead the team, the Fittoa survivors in Millishion may have returned to the nobles who owned them. I can't even imagine what they'll do to those who weren't slaves before.
As cruel as it may be, my only priority for now is to get my son out of his prison first, and then deal with the things I might not even have an answer for.
***
Once we resumed our descent into the Labyrinth, the Treants led us straight to the entrance of the next floor.
To my surprise, it was located under the trunk of a massive tree, right in the center of the floor. We had to crawl through a specific patch of roots to reach the underside of the tree, where a set of stairs spiraled downward.
It unsettled me, as we hadn't encountered stairs like these since we first entered at the top of the mountain. It was even more disturbing that these stairs led much deeper than I had expected. At least there were rails this time, but they still descended farther than I had anticipated.
Something in my gut told me this was the way to the final floor. Any deeper, and it would have been absurd.
As we descended, the roots gave way to boxes embedded in the walls, each glowing with a faint light from within. The boxes had a solid casing, but it was translucent, almost like glass, yet sturdier. The illumination they provided was soft but enough to guide our way.
Soon, we reached a metal door—unlike any we had seen before—but the stairs continued downward, and the door was on the wall beside us.
I narrowed my eyes at the strange door before us. Unlike the other entrances to lower floors, this one wasn't hidden within natural formations or obscured by illusions. Its cold metal surface stood alone against the surrounding environment as if it didn't belong in this chaotic labyrinth.
Eris crossed her arms and eyed the door with suspicion. "This doesn't feel right. Every other floor entrance was concealed behind caves, tunnels, or illusions. Why is this one just… here?"
Zenith ran her fingers across the surface of the door. "It's metal, but smoother than anything I've ever felt. Not like iron or steel. It's almost warm… like it's alive."
Roxy adjusted her hat thoughtfully. "There were no signs of danger along the way—no monsters, no traps. Even the Treants led us in this direction. If this door is a passage to the next floor, then why does it feel like it belongs to something else?"
Ruijerd remained silent, his gaze fixed on the door. That alone set me on edge. If even he felt uneasy, we had every reason to be cautious.
I crossed my arms and gave it some thought. "We could go back and search for another way down."
Elinalise scoffed. "And waste more time? If this leads deeper, we're taking it. We don't have the luxury of second-guessing ourselves."
I let out a breath, nodding. She was right. "Fine. Stay sharp, everyone."
I placed my hands on the door and pushed.
It didn't creak or groan. Instead, it slid open smoothly, without a sound, sending a cold shiver down my spine.
And then—
A vast expanse of lights stretched before us—yet not a single torch burned, no flame flickered in the wind.
These lights… they glowed with no fuel, no source. Dotted across the land like fallen stars, they clung to the walls and floated in the air as if hung by invisible threads.
Above and below, strange towers of stone and glass reached toward the heavens, their polished surfaces shimmering like water under moonlight. Some of them pulsed with veins of red and gold light—lines that crawled like blood through a body too large to comprehend.
No sound. No smoke. No warmth. Just that eerie hum—steady, unnatural. Magic? No. Something colder.
The darkness surrounding them was thick, yet it did nothing to suppress their glow.
Tall, strange glass and stone structures rose in unnaturally smooth shapes, their surfaces reflecting the eerie light. Some lights blinked; others remained steady, tracing lines along the ground and through the air. Bridges—no, tunnels of light—stretched between distant buildings, veins of gold, red, and blue.
There were no torches. No bonfires. No people. A city unlike any that could exist in our world.
"This… isn't possible," I muttered.
Zenith clutched my arm. "What is this place?"
Ruijerd, ever the warrior, had drawn his spear, his posture tense. "There's no life. No movement. But something is roaming it."
Eris, unusually silent, kept her sword sheathed. Her expression was unreadable for the first time since she joined us.
"It's like a village, but—" Roxy began, her voice awed.
"A village of architects," I finished.
That was the only explanation. No common hand could have crafted something like this. A world bathed in false stars, shaped by forces beyond mortal comprehension.
Roxy stepped forward and looked down. Her eyes widened.
"…We're standing on top of one of the structures."
I turned to her. "What?"
She pointed downward.
Only then did I realize the floor beneath us was no longer the great tree's roots—it was smooth, cold stone, flat and polished, reflecting the endless glow of the city below. And beyond the edge... nothing but open air.
"…We're on a tower," she breathed. "A tower overlooking this entire floor."
For a long moment, none of us spoke.
Then, Eris let out a sharp breath. "So? What now?"
I forced down my unease and gripped my sword.
"We find the way down."
Lingering in this strange, impossible city wouldn't do us any good. Whatever this place was, it wasn't what we came here for.
"Back inside," I ordered, already turning toward the doorway. The others followed without hesitation. No one complained—not even Eris. That alone told me just how unnerving this place was.
We stepped back through the metal door, returning to the dimly lit tunnel leading further down. The glowing boxes embedded in the walls continued to cast their steady light, stretching long shadows as we descended. The air felt heavier now, thick with an unfamiliar pressure. It wasn't magic, it wasn't miasma, it was just… wrong.
Roxy touched the wall, tracing its smooth surface. "This isn't stone, wood, or metal. It's something else. Something unnatural."
Zenith frowned. "It feels like we've stepped into another world entirely."
Elinalise snorted. "It sure does. Everything about this Labyrinth has been bizarre, but that city? That's something else. That boy sure has some revolutionary thinking in architecture."
I couldn't argue with her.
The descent seemed to stretch longer than before. The stairs spiraled downward in a slow, deliberate curve. The walls around us shifted from the root-covered sanctuary above to something colder—smooth, seamless, and artificial. No cracks. No imperfections. No sign that this tunnel had been carved by hand or magic.
At last, we reached the bottom.
Another door stood before us. Identical to the one above, but this time, it was slightly ajar. A faint light pulsed rhythmically through the gap.
Ruijerd took the lead, pushing the door open further.
What lay beyond was yet another impossibility.
The corridor stretched endlessly before us, lined with glowing panels—like mage stones, but flat, uniform, humming with a steady, soulless light.
They lit the space with a strange white-blue hue, brighter than moonlight, yet utterly cold. No flicker, no warmth. Just perfect, endless light.
The floor beneath our feet was pristine—smooth, with strange lines and symbols marking its surface. The walls were barren, devoid of any decoration, yet their sheer uniformity made them unnerving.
There was no dust. No scent of decay. No sign of time's passage. It was as if this place had been waiting this whole time.
Eris took a cautious step forward. "This looks nothing like the floors before."
I nodded. "That's because it isn't. This isn't a dungeon anymore. This is something else entirely."
Roxy's eyes darted across the walls, her expression tense. "I have a feeling we're about to see something no one ever did."
Ruijerd narrowed his eyes. "Then be ready. Whatever is down here… it's been undisturbed for a reason."
We moved forward.
The air was unnervingly silent—too silent. Our footsteps echoed unnaturally, as if the space itself was listening. The corridor stretched on, turning at sharp angles that felt deliberate rather than natural.
We reached a bend in the corridor, and as I stepped near the corner, a section of the wall hissed and split open—smoothly, silently. No hinges, no handle. Just a seamless panel sliding sideways into itself, revealing a short passage beyond.
I froze mid-step. "Did anyone touch it?"
"No," Roxy said, wide-eyed. "It moved on its own."
"Magic?" Eris asked, gripping her sword.
Ghislaine shook her head. "No flow. No mana signature."
The walls had sensed us. Responded to us.
We stepped cautiously through the opening, and behind us, the wall sealed shut again—silent as before.
"This place isn't reacting like a dungeon," I muttered. "It's reacting like a… fortress. One that's awake."
At the far end was another door.
But this one was different.
The moment we stepped within a few meters, the symbols carved into its surface flickered rapidly—then flared to life with a burst of light that pulsed through the walls around us like a heartbeat.
A deep, mechanical thrum vibrated through the floor, and with a hiss of pressurized air, the door split open horizontally—not from our touch, but in response to our presence.
Heat rushed out from the chamber beyond, carrying with it the sterile scent of something too clean—too perfect.
The light from within wasn't warm. It was cold, sterile, a pale blue-white that stung the eyes.
A presence hung beyond it—unseen, yet unmistakable. A warning.
Zenith placed a hand on my shoulder. "Paul… I don't like this."
Neither did I. But the door had already opened. There was no turning back.
The door slid open soundlessly, revealing the city once again.
But this time, we weren't on top of it. We stood in its heart. The towering structures loomed over us, their glass-like surfaces reflecting the glow of countless lights. Yet, the streets were eerily silent—no wind, no scurrying animals, no distant voices. Only the dim hum of unseen energy was coursing through this place like a heartbeat.
Zenith clutched my arm. "It's… empty."
I didn't answer. The others hesitated as they took in the foreign, alien structures surrounding us. The streets were impossibly smooth, marked with strange patterns, pathways leading into the unknown. There were no carts, no lanterns, no sign of life.
And yet, it felt lived-in.
Eris whistled lowly. "So we're just walking through. No detours, no poking around?"
"For once, I agree," Elinalise muttered. "This place makes my skin crawl."
Ruijerd led the way, his spear ready, scanning the shadows. Roxy, usually eager to analyze everything, was silent. Even she was unnerved.
We moved through the streets, sticking to the open paths. The narrow alleyways between buildings seemed to stretch unnaturally, twisting into the unknown. We avoided them.
As we walked, I took note of the odd details—glass panes acting as walls, revealing empty, unnerving interiors, strange monolithic structures with no openings.
The most unsettling part, however, were the signs. Symbols glowing faintly along the walls, flickering in and out of existence, their meaning completely lost on us. Some pulsed; others barely held their light.
I stopped. A chill ran down my spine. Something was watching us.
No sound. No movement. Just the unmistakable presence of something nearby.
"Hide," I hissed.
Without hesitation, the others followed, darting into the nearest alleyway. The moment we did, the air around us changed.
A distant hum echoed through the empty streets.
Then—
A shadow moved. Not a person. Not an animal. Something else. Massive. And with the presence of many.
It moved with unnatural fluidity, its form obscured by the dim glow of the city. Its presence alone sent waves of dread through me.
We had been right to hide. Because whatever that thing was… It was hunting.
///